My Initiative
by yesiamweird
Summary: Bella has been working with SHIELD for 3 years now. With the rise of Loki, she is included in the Avengers Initiative. A secret SHIELD has kept from her...if they are keeping secrets about superheroes what else are they hiding? OC fighting along the avengers, eventual Bruce/OC
1. Chapter 1

**So I've been reading A LOT of Avengers fan fiction since the movie came out Thursday in the states. I've seen it three times since that night, and I had to get this idea out of my head! I hope you enjoy it!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

The constant hum of the small plane Bella and the four SHIELD agents rode in couldn't stop her consistent shaking from the attack she had just faced. In the short three years she had been a part of the SHIELD team, never would she have imagined an attack would be infiltrated through the inside of their base.

"Agent Marcone?" Commander Fury's deep voice pulled the twenty-six year old woman from her episode. "Yes? Commander?" She held her head high hoping he wouldn't fire her for not stopping the intruder take the precious artifact her and the rest of the scientist and examiners had been processing.

"How's the leg?" he crouched down in front of the woman looking down at her right with his visible eye. During the attack a blast from the intruder's scepter had struck pieces of machinery that crumbled on top of Bella slicing the right side of her thigh.

Before he spoke reminding her of the bleeding cut she felt fine. But now that her mind had been fixiated on the spot it began to sting. The blood seemed to burn the parts of her flesh exposed from the attack. "Fine, Commander…" She nodded giving a slight curve of her lips holding a shaky hand over top of the wound.

"We will need to get that fixed once we get on the ship." Fury stood and looked to the men controlling the plane stating their objectives once they arrived on the safe ground. She tried to pay attention to her boss's words, but they seemed to fade as the rumbling hum of the plane's engine made its way back into Bella's head.

She felt her chest calming from the short gasps she hungrily tried to pull into her lungs while her head rested against the cool metal frame of the plane. "Commander…" She gasped through dry lips releasing her hold on her bleeding leg.

Worried for the young employee, Fury pushed pass one of the agents on his side and ducked down to the woman. "Sorry, I failed…" She gasped and then slumped into the seat the world around her fading into nothingness.

* * *

_"Did you see the new findings of the Tesseract?" A blonde haired woman smiled through her circular glasses. _

_"No, I just got onto base!" Bella smiled pulling her golden amber hair back into a ponytail. _

_"What exactly have you been doing, Bells?" _

_"I just got back from the cleanup of the situation in New Mexico. It was unbelievable!" _

_"Hm…I see." Elizabeth smiled taking her glasses off and cleaning them with the inside of her lab coat. "Nice suit." She cocked an eye brow to her female friend. _

_Rolling her eyes from the disapproving look of her friend, Bella pushed her lips and frowned. "It was what they told me to wear. I don't argue with SHIELD; I just do what they say." She patted her female friend's shoulder and then continued walking down the hallway. _

_"Agent Marcone?" Fury's voice sounded across the room. "How are things back in New Mexico?" he nodded revealing a small curve in his mouth. _

_"Fine sir." Bella nodded back and then turned to Liz. "Whada we got, sister?" She tapped away at the digital screen monitor logging on to the computer program to analyze the Tesseract. _

_"Well like I said before." Liz tapped her friend's shoulder and pointed to a group of readings on the monitor. "The newest results of the cube came in revealing its true power." _

_"True power?" Bella titled her head while continuing to read the scrolling readings while furiously taping away the digital keypad. "What are you talking about?"_

_Pulling the eager and blind agent to the __to the corner __of the laboratory,__"Bells. Listen to me…" __Liz huffed her nostrils at the woman. __"I think there's something funny going on here."_

_Bella raised an eyebrow, "What do you mean?" She squinted her eyes carefully at the blonde. _

_Looking around to make sure the area was secure, Liz leaned in closer to the opposing woman's face and whispered, "That thing- the Tesseract… it's alive, Bells. There is something within it growing and, more importantly…" She closed in to whisper closer into Bella's ear as the sweet scent of her perfume filled in her head. "There's something about this whole organization Fury is not telling us. I'd watch your back if I were you." She pulled away and then casually walked off in the direction of the other scientists examining the glowing blue cube. _

_Not sure how to take in the entire situation, Bella looked around the area and shook her head. "Is everything alright, Agent Marcone?" A lab tech questioned the gasping woman. _

_"What?" She looked up placing her hands to her side. "Everything's fine, thank you…I just- need some coffee…" She nodded walking out of the lab. Just as the elevator door closed, the amber-haired woman exchanged a glance with her female friend. _

_'Be Careful' Liz mouthed while the door slammed on Bella's face._

* * *

Sitting from her lying position on a steel framed bed, she looked down expecting to see her SHIELD uniform but instead smiled at the familiarity wearing normal human clothes: a pair of jean shorts and a green plaid button up shirt hugged her body easing her from her worry.

Although she couldn't see the wound, she could feel her right thigh had been contained and wrapped tightly underneath her jean shorts. She could tell because the edge of the white bandage underneath peaked out from the bottom of her shorts.

"Gotta get outta here…" She grumbled and removing the IV stuck in her forearm wincing slightly as a stream of blood fell from the hole. Carefully throwing her numb leg over the edge of the steel cot, Bella grunted lifting herself out onto the floor walking carefully to the door.

Knowing SHIELD she turned the handle of the door expecting it to be locked but smiled as it swiftly opened instead. Carefully looking around, she walked down the hallway trying to figure out just where the hell she had been taken too.

Every step the woman took, she felt as if she had been walking on a block of ice. Looking down finally annoyed from the cold, she noticed her feet were bare making sense of the whole situation. "Who the heck dressed me?" She wondered whispering under her breath.

"Going somewhere, Agent Marcone?" a voice from behind pulled Bella away from her venture.

"Oh…" She turned around smiling hesitantly. "Agent Coulson!" Out of all the Agents she worked with, he was by far the calmest and strangest of them all. Not strange as in creepy but rather eccentric. "Just going out for a stroll!" her chuckle went un-noticed as he walked forward pulling her along the hall she had been walking down.

"Really then, well you might want to follow me since you've never stepped on this ship before." The man smiled genuinely continuing to hold up the young woman's weight.

"Agent Coulson, I can walk on my own you know…" She muttered trying to free herself but it was useless. He might have been an older man, but he certainly carried his own weight being a part of the operation.

"There we are…" He stopped in front of a door letting her arm free from his grasp.

"Um…" Bella stopped looking in front of the giant steel door. "What is this?" She questioned trying to mentally prepare herself for just about anything. Working with SHIELD she had to quickly adapt to the strangest situations in milliseconds. It wasn't something she enjoyed but came as a challenge…a test for her own personal enjoyment to see if she could be adaptable.

"Your new play room." The man pushed aside the door offering her to walk in first. Gasping at the astounding technology within the room, Bella outlined the tables, monitors, and curves of the objects within her room. "We need you to try to help find the Tesseract Loki stole until the others arrive." The agent smiled backing away from the threshold.

"Others?" Bella looked back brushing an amber lock behind her ear.

Coulson smiled. "Others. Enjoy." And the door shut leaving the woman to her own thoughts.

* * *

**Short intro, I know...but the updates will be longer! Promise! ;)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Wow, I got more views on my first chapter in one day than I've gotten total in my one shot fic! That's awesome! This is such a fast growing category! And I freaking love ittttttt! Longer chapter like I said so enjoy!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

"The Avenger's Initiative?" Bella spoke aloud clicking on one of the flies that popped up on the virtual screen in front of her. Not sure what exactly to say or what to do, her grasp on her cup of coffee fell from her hands burning the tops and bottom of her bare feet. "Shit." She muttered taking a step back and then looking back at the digital moving profiles.

Of course she knew about the superheroes plastered on the screens. She had been one of the few people to even know who and what Thor the so called Norris God from Asgard who had made the mess in New Mexico. But this…this was crazy…

"Okay Fury…" She sighed pulling up the files and reading them as quickly as she possibly could. "I hope you know just what on Earth you are trying to do…"

As she read the detailed files she couldn't help but think of Liz's advice about Fury.

"_There's something about this whole organization Fury is not telling us. I'd watch your back if I were you." _

After working with SHIELD for three long and busy years, it bothered her to no end that she had no idea of this Initiative program. If Fury was hiding something as painless as this from his agents, what else could he be hiding from her and the others as well?

Pushing aside her anger, Bella redirected her attention to carefully study the men involved in this Superhero gang.

The last database file she finished reading had been on Dr. Brue Banner, AKA the Hulk. From his files, Bella decided that out of all the people put together he would be of the upmost importance in the location of the cube.

Tony Stark, AKA Iron Man, would also be helpful in her search, but she wasn't sure if he was even 1.) invited to be a part of the program, and 2.) would even contribute to the process or just mock her and the rest of the SHIELD agents?

Not wanting the unknown answers to her questions to bother her even more she looked down to the spilled cup of coffee from earlier and cleaned it deciding she would soon need a new cup of coffee. Plus the fact she had still been wearing normal clothes was also starting to bother the young woman. In a ship full of agents running around in the same costume- so to say- she felt out of place wearing jeans and a button down.

Quietly opening the door to the room and peering through it to examine the hallway, Bella made her way quietly down to the commander center hoping to come into contact with one of the agents that could help her find the appropriate attire.

As she turned the corner of the hall, she found herself face to face with three men. One of the men being Coulson and the other two being the subjects of the files she had just memorized. A tall sturdy young blonde man on the right, while a thinner average looking man with graying brown hair to the left. "Glad I'm not the only one running around in normal clothes." She flashed a smile to the two men raising her right hand out. "Agent Marcone."

"Steve Rogers, Ma'am." The blonde hesitantly smiled shaking her hand firmly. Despite his masculine statue, his giant hands were soft and warm. Almost as if he had just put lotion on them she day dreamed and then pulled her hand away to look to the other man.

"Bruce Banner." He shook her hand nervously revealing a very calloused and weak hand as they shook.

"Ah, Agent Marcone. What are you doing out of your lab?" Coulson appeared from behind Banner. She hesitantly chuckled once more flashing her charming smile, "I was looking for you…I'm getting cramped in there, plus I was hoping to get some coffee and put on a uniform. I'm sure these two hero's will be suiting up leaving me the only one dressed casually."

"Actually." Banner chimed in making the woman stand on edge from her current statement. "I don't get a suit of armor- or anything to wear, really…"

The group paused hesitant of the Doctor's known anger-management and Bella breathlessly nodded. "Right. Sorry 'bout that…"

"Yes, so a new Uniform." Coulson took a hold onto Bella's arm once again and then looked back at the two Avengers, "Agent Johnson will lead you two to the briefing room." He continued walking forward leading Bella away from the two men. "I'm afraid your previous uniform had been ruined from the attack at base. But one of the other field agent's suits should fit you just as well."

"Agent Coulson, you do realize these jumpsuits are custom fitted right?" Bella smiled unbelievably as the older man left leaving her alone in the closet room. "Just great." She muttered looking at the hanging suits in the room. "None of these will fit…" Even though Bella was of average size she was nowhere near as thin as some of the female agents like Natasha, AKA Black Widow.

"This one looks okay…" She muttered taking a suit that looked somewhat appropriate for her figure off of its hanger. She quickly removed her normal clothes and then peeled off the bandage to her cut. It was healing rather nicely, but the fact that she was being held together by 46 small black stitches made her stomach turn.

Looking at the black leather suit held in her hands, she carefully pulled it on minding to watch for her cut. "Not too bad…" She attempted to test the motion of her legs and arms only to find that the suit fit perfectly in her torso and arms and yet squeezed the life out of her lower half.

"Need to do those Pilates apparently…" The woman muttered feeling fat. In a situation such as this, there was no time to start feeling self-conscious. "I just hope we don't have a sticky situation." She smirked to herself and then exited the room as the mechanical door closed behind her.

* * *

"Oh, hello there Doctor Banner." Marcone smiled walking in on the surprised man working in the lab she had just been in. "I figured you were going to be joining me." She walked swiftly over to the keypad she had paused before she had met him and Rogers.

"Miss Marcone…you- you don't mind me working here?" He stuttered with a curve nervously edging around his lips.

"No, of course not." She looked down brushing a lock of hair from out of her face.

"So…" Banner's raspy voice pulled the woman from her eyes plastered on the screen. "You are a SHIELD agent, correct?"

Standing up straight Bella nodded her head. "Correct, Dr. Banner."

"Bruce."

"Bella."

"What?" He looked over with an eyebrow raised.

Sighing, Bella rested her back on the edge of the desk. "My name is Bella. Isabella Marcone, Bruce." She smiled and then turned back to face the monitor. "From the files I've read you are just the person to help me find the Tesseract Loki stole…" she continued on with her work while Bruce walked along side of the woman.

"Is that all you read from the files… Bella?"

Looking up catching a nervous glance from the man behind the Hulk, she nodded. "It's the only thing I care about, Bruce." She flicked a few files over scanning through them quickly.

"It would be in our best interest to first find Loki. If I had to bet money he probably has the cube with him." Bruce nodded. "We find the Asgard, we find the cube?" Banner touched one of the files pulling it onto the side of the screen touch-pad monitor.

"I don't think so." She shook her head looking up at the man. "Loki is the type of villain that knows better than to lead his targets to the prize-" Bella stopped as a picture of the slicked black haired man flashed on the screen.

"Speak of the devil. There he is…" Banner smiled looking at the 79 percentage cross match flashing on the screen. "Bella?" He looked over at the woman's widened grey eyes and horror struck expression plastered on her face. "Bella?" He nudged her arm contained within the thick leather of the black SHIELD suit. "Bella, are you okay? Bella?"

* * *

_ "A gateway is opening!" A male scientist gasped as the glowing Tesseract shined a bright blue. __Not knowing what to do, Bella grabbed the arm of Liz and watched as a beam of light blasted from the Tesseract towards the center core of the base. _

_The blinding light dimed down revealing a decoratively dressed man in a crouched down position. From what Bella could see, he had jet-black slicked back hair, and a freaky gold scepter held in his right hand. "This can't be good." She whispered tightening her hold on Liz's arm as the guarding SHIELD agents walked slowly towards the man. Their guns ready in an instant._

_"Sir. Please put down the spear!" Fury called out as he rose from his position. Without another warning he raised his scepter in the air causing a blast right above Bella and Liz's heads. The women ducked, distracted for the moment from the attack when a blast from Bella's side forced her into the piece of machinery to her right. _

_Gasping from the excruciating pain gushing out from her leg, the amber-haired woman pulled her hands forwards pushing her chest up from to a sitting position. Realizing they had been under attack, she looked to her left as Liz lay motionless with blood pooling around her white lab coat._

_"No…Liz…" Bella felt warm salty tears forming in her eyes._

_"This doesn't have to get any messier." Fury's voice pulled Bella away from her thoughts. Just then Erik Selvig, __the newest scientist of the agency, _crouched down to help her up. "Isabella, your leg." He whispered staring down at her lower half. 

_"Of course it does. I've come too far for anything else." The invader snapped at Nick causing both Bella and Erik to turn to watch the two argue. "I am Loki, of Asguard. And I am burned with glorious purpose."_

_With that, Erik's head jolted, "Loki? Brother of Thor?" Well that was a name Bella often heard from Selvig, but not in a desperate and scared tone. _

_"We have no quarrel with your people." Fury directed Loki's attention back to him, stalling the invader from leaving the ticking time bomb base. _

_"An ant has no quarrel with a boot." _

_"You bastard! Are you planning to step on us?" She clenched her lower jaw muttering through her teeth with her gun from her hip held ready in her hands._

_The intruder walked towards her looking with such a fixation at the woman. Smiling at her, she felt the room around the two spinning. "I come with glad tidings of a world made free." his smooth voice rang through the woman's ears distracting her from shooting. _

_"Free from what?" Fury asked in his usual calm tone._

_Loki smiled looking down at the woman. She could see in his eyes the power he felt towering over top of her and Selvig from the floor. "Freedom," He replied, "Freedom is life's great lie. Once you accept that, in your heart..." __he raised his golden scepter towards her chest._

_"No! Don't hurt her." Erik jumped forwards protecting the young woman. _

_"Ah. Even better of a heart, you will know peace." The intruder smiled touching the scepter on Selvig's chest. _

_"What are you doing?" Bella grunted but her threats went unnoticed as her eyelids began to close and a flash of the intruders face crossed her mind._

___"We shall meet again…until then, tell them…tell them, how you felt when I killed your friends. When I took over their mind and bodies…inform them just how powerful I am…"_

* * *

"Bella!"

Tripping over her standing feet, the amber-haired woman fell into a set of arms from behind. "What?" She gasped looking up into Banner's eyes hidden behind his thinly framed metal glasses. "Loki!" Realizing the position she had been placed in she quickly strained her arms releasing herself from his grasp, "I'm sorry…Dr. Ban- Bruce. I-I hope I didn't frighten you!"

"No." He helped her back to her feet once again and shook his head. "But you might want to sit down. They found him."

"Where?" She quickly responded.

"Stuttgart, Germany. He's not exactly hiding either, like you said…Apparently he's on his way to an exhibit."

The woman nodded taking in a deep breath while trying to compose herself among the hazardous man. "This is bad…" She closed her eyes trying to stop tears from forming in her grey eyes. "Loki is setting us up for a trap…I can- I can just tell." She ran a shaky hand through her hair and opened her eyes to the intelligent doctor.

"I agree. From his profile SHIELD gave me, he's short of a few screws..."

Nodding Bella sighed again thinking of the memory that had brought her to this current state of distress. "I'm sorry again…I just wasn't expecting to see him so soon…"

"Soon? From what?" Bruce paused all of the files on the screen and looked to the woman.

"It's a long story…"

"I've got time… They're sending Rogers and Widow out to catch him most likely." Nodding to his statement Bella scratched the top of her head looking for a way to stop the villain from killing anyone else. "So…" Bruce's raspy voice brought her back to his statement. "He's the one who gave you that cut? Huh?"

Blinking and frowning, Bella raised an eyebrow. "How did you-?"

"Sorry. I notice a lot of things. It keeps me… distracted. Your shorts from earlier…the bandage. There was blood at the bottom too."

Nodding with her lips puckered out the woman gave into the Doctors observations. "Bulls eye." She looked to him awaiting some sort of angered look but it never came. "Can I tell you something, Bruce?"

"Sure."

"I've been working with SHIELD for three years now…and now… I'm starting to question my profession now more than ever…"

"Go on." Bruce took off his glasses getting a better view of the young lady.

"Well, the night he attacked SHIELD base, I watched him kill and turn some of our best agents against us. And somehow Fury and I were the only ones left." She closed her eyes thinking of Liz. "My friend died right next to me and I couldn't stop it…but besides the sob story there was one thing Liz told me just a few weeks before she died." Bella finished her story looking up at the man with a look of concern.

"She told me she didn't trust SHIELD. That there was something they weren't telling her and I. Well that certainly became clear as soon as I opened that file. No one in my area had even heard about the Avengers Initiate. Why would they hide something like that from their employees? Especially one working as a field archeologist."

"A field archeologist?" Bruce smiled. "W-what exactly do you do then?" He snickered making the woman tense from the usual teasing of her job description. "I-I'm sorry… that was… rude."

"I'm used to it." She nodded and picked at the inside of her lip. "Literally when superheroes like you show up, I go around and help clean up and examine the mess."

"Like I said." Bruce smiled nervously. "I'm not a hero…"

Ignoring his statement Bella walked forwards looking out into the command center. "You would think SHIELD would have told someone who has been to multiple areas of attack from the superhuman beings project about this Avenger's project."

"They didn't tell you?"

"Nope." She made sure to pop the 'p' as she crossed her arms. Bruce walked next to her. "Sketchy huh?"

The man nodded while stroking his chin looking out to Fury commanding the SHIELD agents in the command center below. "Quite. Tell me, how attached are you to this agency?"

"Since Liz died," Bella paused smirking from his question. "None."


	3. Chapter 3

"Looks like they got him." Bruce's voice made Bella turn her head to his figure in the center of the room. "They did?" She whispered letting her finger attached to the virtual monitor down by her side.

Four black figures walked though the hallway passing the windows just in front of the lab. It was in those few moments as the group of figures passed by the window Bella felt her heart in-bedded in her throat. Making the world around her move almost in slow motion. Her jaw dropped as she watched the villain in the center of the guards surrounding him.

He looked through the glass at the two people standing in the room. First his glance went to Bruce, giving his infamous crooked smirk. And then Bella saw those piercing eyes...those horrible piercing blue eyes. Loki's smile widened as he kept his glare on the woman until he and the guards passed completely by the window.

As if the God of Mischief had somehow gained the abilities from Medusa, both she and Banner stood in their position as if they had been turned to stone. The motionless standstill of her figure wouldn't even allow her to breathe, let alone respond when Commander Fury entered the room. "You two, down to the command center. Now."

Bruce took a few steps ahead nodding but then turned and stopped not hearing another set of footsteps behind him. "Coming?" He smiled casually to the flustered woman.

"Y-yes…" She finally managed to stutter out shaking her head away from the memory of Loki's eyes...his grin...the fact that the murder was under the same roof as she.

Revenge was not the answer at this time she thought to herself as she took two steps towards the Doctor. She needed to understand just what the hell Fury was thinking bringing aboard that man with the others.

"That was interesting..." Bruce made small talk as they walked down the hallway. He could read her tense structure like a children's book. She only nodded, multiplying the awkward tension between the two. As they made their way into SHIELD's command center, Bruce sighed as soon as Bella had left his side and sat down in front of the massive black onyx table decorated impressively with the SHIELD eagle logo.

"Easy as pie?" Bella muttered to her curly fire-red haired friend.

"Not exactly…" Black Widow replied crossing her arms. She glanced towards the woman, "How have things been with you?" She had known Bella was in the attack and only hoped she was taking things easy after it.

Bella sighed falling into the cushioned chair frowning, "He killed Liz, Natasha…" She whispered looking forwards as Steve Rogers, dressed fully in his Captain American uniform, with a gigantic gruff blonde man on his side. "Loki, I mean."

She nodded back. "He took Barton."

"I know… and Selvig, right in front of me too."

"Selvig?" A voice boomed making the uneasy Bella jump. "You mean Erik Selvig?"

Nodding Bella looked from her chair at the very tall and muscular man. "Yes.." She squinted her eyes trying to put a name to his face. "You're Thor…aren't you?" a curve of her lip indicated her happiness in the heat of the tense moment.

"Indeed I am. And you?"

"Agent Marcone. Bella Marcone." She pushed the chair behind her and stood not taking her eyes off of his. "I have a message for you, from someone important." Her tone had faded from the sternness she had when talking to Black Widow into a calm serenity. "After your visit from New Mexico, I met with Erik and Jane." She paused noticing the sudden spark of interest coming from the man's crystal blue eyes. "Jane says, hello."

Thor closed his eyes smiling from her sentence. "Thank you."

"No prob." She walked over to computer monitor waving her hand softly for the God to follow. "After I visited the small town you and…your friends totaled, Erik Selvig wanted in on working with SHIELD. I met Jane there as well. And after I told her I worked for SHIELD she asked me to relay you her message." Bella explained while typing in something from the tech agent's computer.

"We've taken Miss Foster to a safe location after Selvig's betrayal. You won't have to worry about her." A dark-haired SHIELD agent walked pass Bella and the God. Looking back, Bella noticed it had been Agent Hill.

"Thank you, again."

"You shouldn't be thanking us…" Bella stood from her bent position looking sincerely at the man. "Selvig protected me and I stood there hopelessly. I'm sorry. Erik talked of you often so…" She sighed not knowing what else to say to the God.

Erik Selvig had only been with SHIELD for a couple months, but to Bella he had given her company that made it seem like he had been working there as long as she. During the lone nights working and examining the Tesseract, they often talked through their work. He was a bit of a father figure. Always he would curiously in sincerely wonder about her personal life or question how well her day was going so far.

When the two weren't talking about her or the Tesseract, Selvig would entertain Bella with the funniest and most daring of stories. Some about this life and about the challenges throughout it he had to face to get to where he was. By far, her favorite story had been the one of how he had met Thor- now the very person standing right in front of her.

She felt guilty as she looked at him. He was Selvig's friend. Someone Selvig admired so much. And yet, because of her, Selvig was not there to see his idol. It was her fault that he had sacrificed himself for her...

"Loki's taking of Selvig was not your fault." Thor's voice pulled Bella from her thoughts. "Loki targeted Selvig because of me."

"Yea I gues…" Bella huffed and then tilted her head as Agent Hill cleared her throat indicating to everyone in the area to be quiet. A screen popped up in the middle of the table plastered with Loki's figure trapped inside a circular windowed cage. He almost seemed happy to be captured...almost as if he wanted this to happen

Both Bella and Thor walked to the table ready to witness the deranged interrogation Fury was willing to have with the man while Widow, Banner, and Rogers looked to the screen as well.

"It's an impressive cage…" Loki smiled raising his hands out to praise his room. "Not built, I think, for me." His smile deepened making the hairs on the back of Bella's neck stand.

"Built for something, a lot _stronger _than you." Fury muttered.

Loki moved his head to the camera located inside the cell. To Bella and the others watching, it almost appeared as if he were looking directly at them with those eyes…those piercing deadly eyes.

"Oh I've _heard_….the mindless beast…"

Bella blinked taking a short inhale breath. _"Bruce…the hulk…" _Her eyes wondered to the Doctor catching a glance from him. Even as he smiled, she could see the irritation forming in his face.

Loki continued. "How desperate are you? That you call on such creatures to defend you?"

"How desperate am I?" the tone in Fury's voice was dark. "You've threatened my world with war. You steal a force you can't hope to control. You talk about peace. And you kill cause it's fun." The eye patch wearing man walked towards the caged villain. "You have made me _very _desperate. You might not be glad that you did…"

Instead of responding, Loki only narrowed his eyes making a dark 'Oooh' sound. "It _burns_ you to have come so close. To have the Tesseract, to have power, _unlimited power._ And for what?" The rogue smiled once again and then looked back at the camera, towards the watching group. "A warm light for all mankind to share." He frowned and looked back at Fury, "And then to be reminded what real power is…"

Huffing, Fury walked off leaving Loki alone, "Well let me know if real power wants a magazine or something…" And with that the screen vanished.

The room was silent, minus the background noise coming from the agents and techs working in the depths of the command center.

_"Well that was painful..."_ Bella thought silently to herself while Bruce smiled taking the words sarcastically from out of her head, "He really grows on you, doesn't he?"

"Loki's gonna drag this out," Steve interrupted Bruce's comment, "So, Thor, what's his play?"

The God looked very distressed from the whole situation. His arms had been folded across his chest with one of his hands stroking his chin while he thought, "He has an army called the Chitauri. They're not of Asgard or any world known. He means to lead them against your people. They will win him the Earth. In return, I suspect, for the Tesseract."

Steve's frown deepened, "An army? From outter space?" As if things couldn't get any worse, Loki had to be a crazy nutcase wanting to start a war with aliens...Bella thought mimicking the Captain's frown. "Great..." She muttered while Bruce began to speak up.

"So he's building another portal. That's what he needs Erik Selvig for." The genius looked to Bella fumbling with his fragile framed glasses in his hands. Not wanting to admit the defeat of Erik, Bella simply nodded.

"But Loki has him under some kind of spell, right?" Natasha looked to Bruce informing him unknowingly that Bella had already told of Selvig's story. "Along with one of ours." She added looking upset. Bella tilted her head. _"Barton?" _She thought... _"I know he's the one that brought her into SHIELD, but come on...he's a big boy...he'll be okay...I hope..." _She blinked her thoughts away as Steve began to speak up again.

"I wanna know why Loki let us take him?" The blonde looked behind his back searching for a way out of the Hellicarrier. Of course, the only way out of this flying fortress was down. "He's not leading an army from here."

Bruce crossed his eye brows continuing to fumble with his glasses, "I don't think we should be focusing on Loki. That guy's brain is a bag full of cats, you can _smell_ crazy on him."

Trying to contain her laughter, Bella folded her arms under her breasts looking over to the fuming God. It must have been hard to hear such negative words towards his brother, but they were true, "Are you _sure_ he's related to you?" She questioned pushing away the growing tension between Bruce and Thor to her.

"Have a care to how you all may speak. Loki is beyond reasoning but he is of Asgaurd." His tone stern and yet gentle as he looked to the woman. "And he is my brother."

Natasha rolled her eyes, "He's killed 80 people in 2 days." she stated calmly.

Thor dropped his arms to his side. "He's, a-adopted…" He mused out.

"I think it's about the mechanics." Dr. Banner interrupted the conversation. "Iridum, what did they need the Iridium for?"

About to speak, Bella was cut off from a voice down the hallway, "As a stabilizing agent!" She and the others looked as the infamous Tony Stark, casually dressed, walked alongside Agent Coulson. "It means the portal won't collapse on itself like it did at SHIELD."

He walked towards the others with a cocky grin underneath his fashionably styled goatee. Passing by Thor, he quickly patted the man's muscular arm. "No hard feelings, point break, you've got a mean swing." Stark's grin wided as he looked to the woman behind the God. "And this is-?"

"Agent Marcone." She nodded weary of the man and yet still stuck her hand out to shake his. Instead he pulled her wrist to his face while pecking the tops of her hand. "Pleasure darling. I didn't know Fury kept so many good looking girls around."

She mustered out a fake grin pulling her hand away. "So nice to meet you…"

He must have picked up on her mocking tone of voice because quickly he walked to the podium Fury would stand at. "That man is playing Gallagher! He thought we wouldn't notice, but we did." He pointed his finger at the agent while turning back to the four monitors in front of the platform. Lifting a hand to cover his left eye Stark frowned, "How does Fury even see these?"

Bella crossed her arms, "He turns." Her comment caused a few grins on the faces of her fellow agents and even from Bruce and Rogers.

"Well that's exhausting," Stark mumbled walking back to the table, "Besides the Iridium, Loki was after in Germany, Agent Barton and the others can get the rest of the raw materials to open the portal for however long they need it open. The only major component he still needs is a power source of high energy density. You know something to, um… kick-start the cube!"

"Since when did you become an expert in thermo-nuclear astrophysics?" Agent Hill questioned.

"Last night. The packet." Stark's smile widened. "Selvig's notes? The extraction theory papers-Am I the only one who did the reading?" The man glanced over at the brunette woman. "Am I correct, Bells?"

Frowning and ignoring the superhero being she walked over taking her seat from earlier.

"Would Loki need any particular kind of power source to activate the cube?" Steve Rogers posed the question to Bella looking up across the table.

Banner took the moment to speak up, holding his glasses in his hands. "He'd have to heat the Cube to a hundred and 20 million Kelvin just to break through the cooling barrier-"

"Unless," Stark interrupted, "Selvig has figured out how stabilize the quantum tunneling effect."

Bella nodded. "I remember him saying something along those lines before-…before we were attacked that evening…" She looked to Thor, the brother of the attacker.

"Well, if he figured it out, then he could achieve heavy ion-fusion at any reactor on the planet." Banner nodded placing his glasses in his shirt pocket.

"Finally," Stark held his hand out walking around the table to Banner. "Someone who speaks English! It's good to meet you, Dr. Banner." The two shook while Stark continued, "Your work on the anti-electron collisions is unparalleled, and I'm a huge fan of the way you lose control and turn into an enormous green rage monster."

Bella pinched the bridge of her nose silently cursing Stark. She and the others had done such a good job not mentioning the Doctor's alter-ego while on board the ship. "Thanks." Banner forced out while frowning.

"Dr. Banner is only here to track the Cube. I was hoping you might join him and Marcone." Commander Fury walked in on the conversation after his meeting with Loki.

"Let's start with that stick of his," Rogers interrupted the conversation looking at Thor. "It may be magical, but it works an awful lot like a HYDRA weapon."

"I don't know much about that," Bella spoke up, "but I know it has the same power as the Cube-"

"All I'd like to know is how Loki used it to turn two of the sharpest men I know into his personal flying monkeys!" The commander's voice tensed the woman talking.

"Monkeys?" repeated the blonde God. "I do not understand?"

Pointing a finger Rogers yelled out a bit too loudly, "I do!" Bella merely smiled gracefully at the aged man. Being frozen in the ice for 70 years must have been quite a culture shock. She felt bad for him but couldn't contain her Agent-like statue with the smile plastered on her lips. "I-I understood that reference." He sat back in his plush chair while red grew on his cheeks.

"Is there anything else we should know about your brother, Thor, that could help us in finding the Tesseract?" Natasha broke the tension in the room from Steve's outburst.

"Besides the fact the guy's a lunatic?" Agent Hill raised an eyebrow catching a glance from the Blonde well-built man. Bella could see why when Jane talked about this guy she had the biggest googly-eyes she'd ever witnessed. His muscles and body structure certainly gave a good reason.

"Out of everything-" Bella spoke up with a hand to her chin. "What worries me the most is the fact Loki is among us...he's the type of villain that, though he may lack in strength, he can be convincingly manipulative." She finished making every head turn to her.

Thor nodded, "That statement holds true to Loki's form."

"Hmm." Bella smiled hesitantly leaning her elbows on the table. "I was worried about that. This would be a hell of a lot easier if it was opposite, brute strength and stupidly blind." She widened her eyes dropping her jaw from her words. "Not saying that is what you are-" She looked to a pouting Thor.

"Agent Marcone…go on…" Commander Fury assured her from the apology.

"Right. Well, what worries me the most is…" She looked to Steve, "What exactly happened? How is it that you all captured him and you're still in one piece?" She looked to Rogers, Stark and Thor.

"It's because we're awesome." Stark smiled patting Banner's shoulder while Bella and the others rolled their eyes, "It's true. You should have been there buddy."

"Yea…" Bruce shook his head smirking. "Not a good idea." He nodded to Bella for her to continue.

"Well, he just kinda…sat there." Rogers spoke making the amber-haired agent hold her breath. "We ended up fighting each other while he sat on the side-lines."

"Exactly…" She swallowed a mouthful of worry looking to the commander. "He _wanted_ to be captured. He _wanted_ to be taken here." Her hands started to shake nervously. "And now you've done exactly what he's wanted, Commander…"

She looked down at her hands intertwining them to stop the shaking when Loki's words from the night of the attack rang through her head.

_"We shall meet again…until then, tell them…tell them, how you felt when I killed your friends. When I took over their mind and bodies…inform them just how powerful I am…"_

"Shit…" She ran a hand through her messy hair. "Commander why did Loki only leave you and I alive that night? There are two reasons…" Fury merely stared at his employee with a calm and collected face not budging to speak whatsoever.

"Anyone?" She looked around the room holding her pointer and middle fingers in the air. "Only two reasons…" She looked to Stark with a smile, "Mr. Stark, you're so smart and brilliant. Why don't you share with the class?"

He only thinned his mouth thinking of the correct answers.

Placing her middle finger down Bella spoke, "Commander Fury is his challenge. _His opponent_. Without him, who's to play the game?" She placed her hand down and stood. "That's why he'll always keep you alive. _Always._ And me…"

She looked down to Natasha wishing it was Liz instead of her sitting next to her. "I'm the one to tell you, to make you _fear_ him. He killed my friends and took over Selvig's mind right in front of me. As proof to his power…Thor, I'm sorry." She looked to the God and frowned. "I know he's your brother, but he's _absolutely_ insane.

The room was painfully quiet trying to comprehend the words she had just revealed. Everything was true and the worst part: Loki was on the ship trying to get inside her and the other's heads.

"We're going to need someone to at least try to figure out his reasoning to coming aboard other than to get inside our minds." Bella looked to the red-head, "I vote Natasha."

"I second!" Stark smiled holding his hand in the air.

"Fine…" Black Widow stood from her chair walking off without another word while Fury walked in the opposite direction with Agent Hill and Coulson by his sides.

"Well now that we are all _enlightened_," Stark shook his head smiling just as confident as he had been before Bella came to her conclusions. "Let's try to stop this madman, shall we?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks for all the reviews, favorites, alerts and just reading this story! I can't believe how much and how fast this story is getting views compared to my other stories I've written! That just shows me how great and popular of a movie The Avengers really was!**

**So I might have made something confusing in my summary. As mentioned by First Lady Lestat, what I mean by OCXAvengers, is that Bella is included with the Avengers. I wasn't planning on having this be a romantic story, but it might as time goes on...? I'm not sure. Feel free to share your thoughts! **

**Thanks again! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

_"Congratulations to all of our graduates. Now get out there and live your dreams!"_

_Bella lightly tossed her plain black cap from her raised hands while her graduate peers began to chuck their vibrantly decorated hats way above the height of her cap. She was one of the few that refused to decorate and put time into making a fancy topper for her cap, after all she had no time when studying for her finals to even work on such a meaningless task. _

_She walked down the aisle while her peers and classmate laughed, hugged and cheered for their victory ignoring the young amber-haired woman as she silently fled the scene. _

_Heading towards the parking lot silently humming the graduation march in her head, Bella removed the black gown from her shoulders revealing a simple short black dress. _

_She had no one there to celebrate. Friends and classmates, yes, but family, no._

_"Miss Marcone?" A voice from behind the new graduate made her jump almost ten feet in the air. She turned around slowly wondering who on Earth would be interested in a nobody like her. _

_The man walking towards Bella was very peculiar. He wore all black, from trench coat to boots, and the most interesting figure on his façade had been the black eye path on his left eye. A massive scar hidden behind it._

_"Hello there, Isabella Marcone." He smiled walking closer to the stand-stilled woman. "My name is Nick Fury."_

_She nodded eyeing him carefully. "Hi…Mr. Fury." She held her manicured hand out towards his chest. _

_He ignored her hand while his frown faded into a slight smile. __"Congratulations on your accomplishments."_

_She lowered her hand, "Well thanks."_

_"I'm sorry to be so vague but I'm on a tight schedule." He lifted his head, a very bald head, to the sky. "I'm with the Strategic Homeland Intervention Enforcement and Logistics Division-"_

_"Well that's a mouthful…" She muttered looking to the sky to try to figure out what he had been intently staring at. "What did I do? Study a little too hard? The government's after me-?"_

_"Actually, I'm offering you a position."_

_Bella lowered her eyes raising an eyebrow. "A position? You mean a job?"_

_"Correct."_

_She examined his attire once again not sure if he had been completely serious. She had nothing under her belt other than her degrees. Why in the world would he have targeted her?_

_He smiled revealing his white teeth noticing her confused look. "Your…father…recommended you."_

_"Whoah, whoah whoah…if this is a job underneath my father, you can just-"_

_"It's not…he only gave us a letter of recommendation." He lifted his hand up to his good eye looking at what seemed to be a wrist-watch on his arm. "Well, Miss Marcone. I'll give you a day to think about it." He reached into his pants pocket pulling out a small white envelope towards the female. "Let us know if you would like the position…" _

_Fury turned and started to walk away as Bella traced the words SHIELD vibrantly encoded on the piece of paper. "Mr. Fury!" She called out looking out to the man. He stopped and turned his head. "Is it worth it?"_

_He only nodded, "Oh yes, but only if you're strong enough."_

* * *

Back in the lab, Bella tapped mindlessly away at the virtual computer screen located right next to the golden scepter taken captive by the SHIELD agents. Trying to ignore the regretful sensation impending from the gold stick, Bella attempted to pick apart the various files of the Tesseract.

But she found herself looking back at the baton, contemplating the thought of snapping the it in half on her knee only wishing with succeeding in its destruction their problems might go away. Instead a chuckle pulled her from her vision.

"So what, Nick hires 15 year olds now?"

"Close...26, but it was a good try." Bella responded emotionlessly.

"So you do Shakespeare in the park as well? Along with those two Asgardians?" Stark smiled looking at the Agent. "More importantly, why are you working for SHIELD and not me?"

She turned her focus back to the virtual screen monitor. "It wasn't a rehearsed spiel, if that's what you are getting at." She tried to ignore the man but the fact that he walked into her personal space irked her to no end. He obviously had no personal boundaries growing up.

"No but you sure did make it convincing. What, a minor in theatre?" He put and accent on the last word.

"Try an undergrad double major of Psychology and Environmental Science plus a minor in Chemistry and a _few_ classes on Criminal Justice." She paused and then smiled, "And then a Master's degree in Ancient Environmental Artifact Sciences." She huffed walking over to the monitor opposite of Banner. "All completed within in five years." She finished.

"Hm. Wow…so a master's degree in…_Archeology, _correct?" Stark smiled, "You know that's a dead field nowadays. How on Earth did you manage to pursue that?" He looked to the scepter.

"Does it matter? I landed a job right after I finished. Literally, right after I walked across the stage Fury was waiting there with a position for me." She looked up noticing Bruce through the monitor watching her intently.

Stark huffed, "Wow, in a perfect world-"

"Not a perfect world. This world is not perfect…Loki made that very clear."

Smirking Stark walked back to Banner's side staring at the Agent through the clear monitor. "Who was he? Your boyfriend? Lover?"

"Try best friend." Her voice now becoming stern, "Liz didn't even have a chance against him… Now, if your done insulting me, Mr. Stark let's try to figure out the power source of his scepter or the location of the cube."

"Ahem." Banner cleared his throat pulling the two out from their fight. "Some interesting news came up. The Gamma rays are definitely consistent with Selvig's reports on the Tesseract but by the looks of it it's going to take weeks to process."

"If we bypass their main frame," Stark dug through his jean pocket revealing a silver bag. "It should, cut that time in half." He opened the bag and took a handful of what seemed to be chocolate.

Bruce chuckled. "And all I packed was a toothbrush." While Bella moved from the monitor across from the Doctor back to the one closer next to Loki's scepter.

Stark laughed. "You know, you should come by Stark Towers sometime. The top ten floors are R&D, you'd love it. It's like candy land."

"Thanks, but I'll pass." he smiled. "The last time I was in New York, I kind of broke… Harlem."

Acknowledging the embarrassed look on Bruce's face, Bella opened her mouth to scold Stark until he took the opportunity to speak first. "Well if you visit I promise a stress-free environment. No surprises." And without another warning, he shocked Banner with a wand, turning around quickly ready to retaliate and witness the reaction of the Doctor.

Bruce yelped for a split-second and then looked to Stark skeptical of his actions.

"Hey!" a familiar voice hollered from the door. Bella and the other two looked up at the Captain walking into the center of the room. "Are you nuts?" he muttered to Tony crossing his arms.

"Jury's out!" Ignoring Roger's disapproval, Stark continued to look back at Bruce. "You really have got a lid on it, haven't you? What's your secret? Mellow jazz? Bongo drums? Huge bag of weed?"

Finally annoyed with his poking around, Bella shook her head, "Is everything a joke to you?"

"Funny things are." He pointed the shocker wand in her face causing the woman to grit her teeth and duck just before he shocked her as well.

"Threatening the safety of everyone on this ship isn't funny." Steve added to Bella's statement and then glanced to Bruce, "No offence, doc."

Banner only smiled, "No, it's alright," He paused looking to Bella, "I wouldn't have come aboard if I couldn't handle… pointy things. No need to worry."

"You're tip-toeing, big man." Stark took another handful of his snack popping one in his mouth. "You need to strut."

"And you need to focus on the problem, Mr. Stark." Rogers frowned deepened.

Stark only smiled as he finished chewing. "You think I'm not? Why now did Fury call us in? Why not before? What is it he's not telling us? I can't do the equation until I have all the variables."

"For once, Mr. Stark…" Bella rolled her eyes not believing the words about to come out from her lips, "I agree with you."

"You think Fury's hiding something?" The Captain's stern face grew looking to the SHIELD agent and then to the billionaire.

"Fury's a spy, _the _spy. His secrets have secrets." Tony threw in another handful of snacks into his mouth. Whatever he was eating, he seemed to enjoy his snack. "If its bugging sweet cakes over there then we know we have a problem, right?"

Bella only nodded while Stark and Rogers looked to Banner on her right. "What 'bout you big man?" Tony smiled.

"Ahhhh, I just want to finish my work here, and-"

"Doctor?" The well-built blonde questioned with negativity.

As the three gentlemen continued to bicker like ladies, Bella huffed looking down at the monitor near the Scepter once more. The levels of gamma rays admitting from it were beginning to concern her as she did her best to try to hide her anxiety by quietly adjusting the radiation levels on the pad.

Luckily, Bella's few years working under SHIELD gave her the ability to clear her mind around the destruction and chaos around her while she focused on a task. She was doing a good job of it too until a spark from the center of the blue globe in the scepter caught her eye stunning her motionlessly.

"-Agent Marcone?"

Bella continued to stare at the light while she ignored the voice calling out from behind her.

"Bella?" A fragile hand clutched her wrist pulling her away from her position.

"Wha-?" She gasped looking at Bruce on in front of her. "Oh sorry- Huh?"

"We were wondering why SHIELD decided not to invite me to the Tesseract party." Stark smirked. "What are they doing in the energy business in the first place exactly?"

Shaking her head Bella raised her eyebrows. "I'm n-not sure. I wasn't even invited on your superhero party. I'm only a _field archeologist_; obviously, I'm of no need to SHIELD's best kept secrets…" She replied coolly.

"Hm, well I'll look into all of that once my decryption program finishes breaking in to all of SHIELD's secure files."

Both Roger's and Bella dropped their jaws looking to the man behind the iron. "I'm sorry," The blonde man stuttered. "Did you just say-"

"Yes, JARVIS has been running it since I hit the bridge. In a few minutes I'll know every dirty secret SHIELD has ever tried to hide." The man smirked. "Blueberry?" He held the silver bag out to The Captain revealing to the woman his snack.

_"Chocolate covered blueberries?" _She thought in her head repulsed by the idea of such a thing.

"And yet you're confused about why they didn't want you around." Steve glared disciplining Stark.

"An intelligence organization that fears intelligence? Historically, not awesome."

Taking a sigh in the middle of the thick moment, Bella looked to the two fighting and stubborn men. "I think Loki is trying to wind us up from the inside. Obviously…it's working."

Roger's nodded softly to the woman, "Exactly. This is a man who means to start a war and if we don't stay focused, he'll succeed. We have orders…We should follow them."

"Yea, following is not really my style."

Bella rolled her eyes walking away from the bickering men towards Bruce. He gave her the same annoyed look.

"And you're all about style, aren't you?" Rogers spoke grinding his white teeth.

"Of all the people in this room which one is A. wearing a spangled outfit and B. Not of use?"

"Steve…" Banner's soft voice spoke from Bella's side. "Tell me none of this smells a little funky to you?"

Catching a glance from the Captain, Bella frowned. "Agent Marcone?"

She sighed looking down at the black leather boots she wore tucked into her pants. Out of all of the things she hated, being put on the spot was one that she hated the most.

"Sorry…" She looked up at the superhero… catch phrased, the world's first superhero. "Before Loki's attack, my friend had told me she was thinking SHIELD was up to something. Even though Fury is my employer, there's definitely something he's not telling us…" She pointed her thumb casually at the two men, "I'm with them."

She could hear a slight growl coming from the man put on the spot in the middle of the room. "Just find the cube." And with that he stormed out of the lab.

As the door to the lab closed, Stark pointed a finger towards the door. "That's the guy my dad never shut up about? I'm wondering if you all should have kept him on ice, sweet cakes."

She rolled her eyes while taking a deep breath. As she exhaled, a stray strand of her amber hair flew up and then floated back down gracefully. "It's Bella." She took a few steps towards the door when a snicker made her stop.

"Running off to tattle-tale?"

She turned around folding her arms underneath her average-sized B cup breasts. "I'm on your side; don't kick me when I'm down." She looked out of the corner of her eye watching Roger's walk off through the window. "I just have a feeling Roger's is about to be on our side as well." And with that she exited the room without another word.

* * *

**On a side note, I went to MovieStop and they told me and my fiancee that the movie is supposed to come out on September 25! Buttttttt, with the money they are making from the theaters it'll probably be later...cross our fingers! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey everyone, so I am going on a week long vacation to Orlando, FL so I won't be updating for at least week! Hopefully Disney or Universal will have some awesome Avengers gear! And I can't wait to ride the Hulk at Universal! (Best ride, ever!) So hope you enjoy this update! Don't forget about me now!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

"Rogers!" Bella whispered yelled trying to keep up with the pacing man. "Rog- Steve!" She rushed her pace finally catching up to his side. "Listen, don't let Stark get under your skin. I just wanted-" She tried to apologize for the moment in the lab when he pushed her shoulder against the steel wall.

"You're an Agent for this organization and your turning on them." He muttered staring into her eyes as if he were about to kill a traitor.

"I-I'm not a turning on Fury or SHILED, Steve…" She touched his hand on her shoulder. "I just want to know what I've been doing over the years." His grip released, "What I've _really_ been doing."

He nodded and then looked to the right hearing footsteps in the distance. "Follow me and keep up." He pressed forwards avoiding from being caught by the other Agents.

"Where are we going?" Marcone whispered once more trying to keep up the pace of the Captain. She wondered how he could be so fast just by walking and then remembered 1.) he had been in World War II where she could imagine he had to be quick on his toes to survive, and 2.)he was a super human being.

"Not sure. Shouldn't you know where to go to find a place with secrets?"

Shaking her head she smiled, "This is the first I've ever been on this ship, Captain. Plus I'm not the type of person that can find my way out of a paper bag. Let alone a ship I've never step foot in before recently."

"Great." He muttered and then quickened his pace making Bella now resort to jogging to keep up with him. After walking, or in her case, running for a few minutes, the two came to a door marked PRIVATE indicating the start of their search.

Looking to the right of the door, Bella nodded expecting the keycard scanner and keypad by the side. "How can we get in?" Steve asked trying to open the obviously locked door.

"Don't do that." She warned placing a small hand on the back of his shoulder. "If you try to force yourself in, the silent alarm will trip, allow me." She punched in a number code as the door pushed aside.

"Miss Marcone?" Steve looked down at the woman with a victorious smirk, "After you."

She nodded climbing through the doorway and then looked around. Just as she figured, it was empty as a way to trick someone trying to intrude. "What?" Rogers scratched the top of his perfectly blonde hair. "It's empty…?"

"Only to the untrained eye, Captain." Bella pointed to the corner where a small outline door had carefully been blended into the wall. They walked cautiously over to it and then tried to push it aside. "This one's locked too…but it doesn't have a keypad…" She looked around trying to find a tool to pry open the door.

"What do you suggest?" Steve examined the wall fingering the outline of the entrance.

"We have to open somehow…do you see an-" She looked back astounded as the man griped the door puncturing the steel with his fingers and pushing it to the side. "This work?" He smiled standing up from his position.

She nodded with a smile, "That works." Leading the way, Bella climbed through the forced entry and looked around the dimly lit room. It was full of crates and boxes that seemed to tower in the room. Even though there was nothing jumping right out at the two saying this was going to be drastic, she could feel the imminent disaster threatening her and Rogers.

Turning to one stack of crates in the corner, the woman swiftly made her way kneeling down in front of the boxes attempting to open one.

"Um, mista America?" She smiled as Steve followed in her footsteps. "Wanna give me a hand with that super human strength there?"

Without another word, Steve pried open the box as if it were nothing and pushed the lid to the side.

"What is _that_?" Bella peaked in the crate staring at the massive object within. "A gun? Weapons?" She placed her hand over her mouth. Of all the things she was promised working for SHIELD, massive weaponry was one of those things she was told over and over again that they were not a part of.

Sure she and the other agents used guns, but they only had them to defend themselves with in the midst of a crisis. But this…this was _not_ what she wanted to see or know her talent and job description had really been involved with.

"HYDRA…" Steve muttered picking up the massive gun in his hand.

"I'm sorry, what?" Bella ran her hand through her hair starting to grow nervous from the look on Steve's face. He looked pissed. No not pissed. Absolutely livid.

"This exactly like the type of weapons I fought against in WWII. This stuff…it's not good. They've been using the Tesseract all this time to make machinery, weapons like this…"

Looking down at the massive gun, the words Bella were trying to search for in her head wouldn't come through. Instead she felt her lower jaw quiver, "Th-they lied, S-Steve…" Bella tried with all her might to hold back the tears forming in her eyes. "They've lied to me…to my friends…for three damn years…"

Not knowing what to say, the man only patted her shoulder, "I-I'm sorry…"

"No…" She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand and looked up towards the gentlemen on her side. The look in her face mirrored his, livid and disgusted. "I'm sorry…"

* * *

_"I just can't believe how much my baby girl has grown up! You are really becoming a beautiful young lady!" The woman laughed at a cringing 15 year-old Isabella Marcone in the kitchen of her grandmother's home. "Any hot guys coming around lately, mom?" The gleaming woman pushed aside the stray locks of her short pixie-cut jet black hair. _

_"Oh don't be silly, Celina, you know Belle is just a proper young lady of our society!" The older woman frowned walking out from the kitchen with a cup of freshly brewed tea in her hands. _

_Celina rolled her eyes and then stared at her daughter with the biggest smile. "You really are quiet beautiful, Izzy." She whispered resting her chin on her hand with her elbow propped on the table. "You're going to be a great solider one day!"_

_"Mom…!" Bella folded her arms and rested her back into the wooden chair. "I told you already, I don't want to be in the Army like you! I want-"_

_"I know, I know!" Celina placed a hand in front of her offspring, "You want to be a realistic Indiana Jones!" She scratched the back of her neck resting into the wooden frame mirroring her child. "I knew I shouldn't have let you watch that movie when you were a kid. That's all you ever wanted to watch! The Indy movie, Mommy! The Indy movie!"_

_Bella chuckled lightheartedly, "I know. I still watch it all the time…whenever I think of you…" She looked into her mother's grey eyes, "But now I'll get to see you all the time. I'm so glad they released yo-"_

_"Actually, Izzy…I wanted to talk to you about that…" Celina leaned forwards to the table cupping her hands around the steaming cup of tea prepared by her own mother minutes ago. "They are calling me back into the war…I have to-"_

_"NO!" Bella stood pushing the chair back so hard it fell. "You can't leave! You just got back!" The tears welled in her perfectly make-up eyes. _

_"It's going to be my last mission, Izabelle…I promise I-"_

_But Bella stormed off, completely outraged by the cruelty of her mother's profession…_

* * *

"Phase 2, SHIELD uses the cube to make weapons." Steve marched back into the lab room slamming the gun he and Bella found on the table. "Sorry, computer was moving a little slow for me." He looked to Fury with the same gaze he had when the two had found the weapon only minutes ago. Bella stepped through the threshold of the room with her arms crossed. Fury had some 'splaining to do.

"Rogers, we gathered everything related to the Tesseract. This does not mean that we-" Fury began until Stark interrupted.

"I'm sorry, Nick, what was that you were saying exactly?" He pointed to the monitor with detailed information on the weapon being discussed casually waiting for an answer.

"I was wrong, Commander. The world hasn't changed a bit." Rogers muttered while Bruce walked forwards pointing to Natasha and Thor standing in the corner of the laboratory. "Did you know about this?"

"You want to think about removing yourself from this environment?" Widow took a step towards him hinting with her eyes.

Banner chuckled hesitantly shaking his head. "I was in Kolkata; I was pretty well removed…"

"Loki is manipulating you, just as Marcone said." She looked to Bella for some help but the amber-haired female refused to say a word. She wanted answers just as much as they did.

Biting her bottom lip, Bella couldn't help but feel betrayal from the red-head. She wasn't as close to Natasha as she had been to Liz and Selvig, but Widow was her ally. She was her equal in SHEILD and yet lied just as much as Fury.

"And you've been doing what exactly?" The doctor snapped.

Widow frowned, "You didn't come here because I batted my eyelashes at you."

Bruce motioned to the monitor with the information and detailed blueprints plastered of the weapon on the table. "No, and I'm not leaving because suddenly you get a little twitchy. I'd like to know why SHIELD is using the Tesseract to build weapons of mass destruction, though."

The room fell eerily silent for the moment.

"Because of him." Fury pointed a finger to the Asgardian.

"Me?" Thor placed a hand on his muscular chest with an eyebrow raised.

"Earth had a visitor from another planet who had a grudge that leveled a small town." Fury looked to Bella tilting his head to her as he continued to speak. "We learned that not only are we alone, but that we are hopelessly and hilariously, outgunned, isn't that right, Marcone?"

She stood there in the silence fixated upon the one-eyed man trying to pull her onto his side. _"No way are you dragging me down to your level…" _She thought crossing her arms.

Thor frowned while his voice slightly shook the room. "My people want nothing but peace with your planet."

"But you're not the only people out there, are you? And you're not the only threat." Fury looked to the man pacing around the room step by step. "The world's filling up with people that can't be matched; that can't be controlled."

"Oh because we controlled the cube so well?" Bella muttered rolling her grey eyes.

"Your work with the Tesseract is what drew Loki and his allies to it." Thor explained pulling the two fighting SHIELD members from out of their silent battle. "It is a signal to all the realms that the Earth is ready for a higher form of war."

Hearing Thor's words made Bella huff finally realizing her purpose in the organization. She smiled disbelievingly and then poked her lower jaw out shaking her head.

"A higher form?" Steve questioned.

"You forced our hand. We had to come up with some-" The commander turned around trying to protect his obligations when Stark interrupted. "A nuclear deterrent?" the billionaire frowned, "because that always calms everything down."

"Remind me again how you made your fortune, Stark?" Fury snapped.

"Well I'm sure if he still made weapons, Stark would be-" Bella mused emotionlessly adding to the fight.

"Wait wait. Hold on," Stark held one of his hands in the air. "How is this about me?"

Steve took a step forward. "Isn't everything?"

"Hmph, I thought humans were more evolved than this," Thor chuckled mockingly.

Fury turned. "Excuse me, but do we come to your planet and blow stuff up?"

"Are you all really that naive?" Widow took to the floor. "SHIELD monitors all potential threats."

Bella's ears perked up while Banner took a step to her side. "What, and Captain America is on a threat list?" He mocked.

"We all are." She snapped causing Bella to grimace at her tone. "So does that include me and Liz and all the others agents are a threat as well? Or does that just mean we are not given certain details? I'm sure Liz and the others would have liked to have known they were killed because they were working on a cube to produce mass destruction weaponry!"

"You're on that list?" Stark pointed to the amber haired woman. "Threatened! I feel threatened!" He raised his hands in the air as if indicating a surrender.

"You see," Thor spoke after Bella, "You all speak of control and yet you court chaos."

"That's his ammo, isn't it?" Banner shook his head as all eyes in the room turned to the doctor, "I mean… what are we, a team? No, no no…we're a chemical mixture that makes chaos. We're a- we're a _time bomb_!"

Fury took a step towards Banner uneasy of the emotions coming from the doctor. "You…need to step away." He motioned with his eyes for Bella to step away as well.

"Aw, why shouldn't the guy let off a little steam?" Stark smiled resting his arm on the Captain's shoulder. Already annoyed from arguing with the man, Steve pushed his hand away."You know damn well why, back off!"

"Oh, I'm starting to want you to make me." Stark glared at the blonde. "Yea, big man in a suit of armor." Steve faced Stark their faces merely inches away from each other. "Take that off, and what are you?"

"Genius...Billionaire, playboy, philanthropist."

Rogers frowned even more than what Bella and the others thought his facial features could handle. "The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play; to lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you-"

"Actually…" Stark thinned his mouth into a straight line, "I think I would just cut the wire," he said motioning with two fingers a scissor cutting motion.

"Always a way out," Steve smiled with disgust. "You know you may not be a threat, but you better stop pretending to be a hero."

"A hero, like you? You're a laboratory experiment, _Rogers_. Everything special about you came out of a bottle."

"Put on the suit." Rogers reacted quickly to Stark's comment. "Let's go a few rounds."

Bella rolled her eyes. A macho fight was the last thing this so called 'team' needed. Before the two could move a voice shook the room with a hint of snickering. "You people are so petty…" Thor looked to Bella and Natasha, "And tiiiiiny."

The room fell silent for a moment until Bruce chuckled. "Yeah, this is a team." He mocked his own words from before.

Furry looked to the amber-haired woman next to the Doctor. "Agent Marcone, will you escort Dr. Banner back to his room-"

"Where!" Banner took a step forward redirecting Fury's gaze from her to him. "You rented my room!"

"The cell was just a precaution-"

"In case you needed to kill me…" Banner paced a few steps and then stopped making the room focus on him carefully. "But you can't. I know. I tried!"

Bella's jaw dropped as she focused on the man. "_He tried? He tried to kill himself?" _Her eyes softened and then shifted to look down at the floor. She realized at that moment she and the others had been afraid of the monster from the time he had stepped on the ship. They hadn't remembered that behind the Hulk, there was a man who didn't want to be controlled by the monster.

Bruce looked to the floor as well crossing his arms, "I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out." He looked up at the vacant faces plastered on the people around him. "So I moved on. I focused on helping other people. I was good… until you dragged me back into this freak show, and put everyone here at risk."

He turned to Fury narrowing his eyes, "You want to know my secret…you want to know how I stay _calm_?"

"Bruce!" Bella whispered out watching the others take a defensive stance while she heard the other reaching and holding their weapons to defend the ship.

"Dr. Banner…" Captain spoke softly to the man, "Put down the scepter."

Unknowing to Bella and the said doctor, the spear had been held tightly in his hands. He blinked behind his glasses and then placed the stick back onto the desk.

"Sorry, kids, you don't get to see my party trick after all." Banner muttered looking to the floor while his shaggy hair hid the embarrassed look from his companions.

Bella imagined he had to be lonely, afraid of hurting his friends and family with the beast trying to find a way out. He had mentioned before that he had controlled the Hulk for about a year and a half now, so she could only imagine 'the other guy' was itching to be free. Especially in this stressful environment.

She was about to try to comfort the man when a light beeping noise turned her attention to a monitor flashing with an alert. "The Tesseract!" She gasped out walking quickly to the monitor.

"You have located the Tesseract?" Thor asked curious.

"Where? I can get there faster." Stark looked over the woman's shoulder ready to take the mission solo.

"The Tesseract belongs on Asguard, it is not a match for humans." Thor boomed.

"You're not going alone!" Roger's pulled the man away from Bella scolding him once again.

"Are you going to stop me?"

_"_Put on the suit, let's find out."

Bella rolled her eyes wanting to put on the Iron Man suit herself and shake the two up a bit, "Oh girls, you're both _pretty_! Can we _focus _now!" She looked back with a fist raised.

"I'm not afraid to hit an old man."

"Put on the suit." The two had ignored her statement.

Groaning, she turned back to the monitor trying to push away the men bickering behind her back. Luckily a light chuckle from Bruce pulled her away from the tension for the moment as he walked next to her examining the screen.

Thanking him with a soft smile, she blinked and then focused back to the monitor. "Oh my god…" She analyzed the data discovering something vital to the location of the cube. _"It's right next to us? But how?" _ She thought about to warn the others but it was too late.

The ship rumbled causing her to lose her footing and fall into the arm of the doctor.

"What is-?" Bella heard Natasha's voice being cut off by a loud blasting noise- the same noise she had heard the night she and Liz were attacked. The floor gave away in the next second taking along with her body, her consciousness as well.


	6. Chapter 6

**Hey everyone! I'm back (Yay!) But I'm not too thrilled about this chapter...idk? I was going to attempt to try for a beta reader...but I just don't understand how that works. If anyone is willing to be a Beta reader or just wants to help me edit this story, message me please! **_  
_

**Other than that, I had a lovely vacation. I went to Universal Studios and practically fell in love with the Marvel Superhero area! (The green goblin surprise attacked me while waiting for the spiderman ride!) And we rode the Hulk coaster twice. (Bad idea...I was super sick!) At Disney World, they have an Avengers monorail & we were lucky enough to ride it (so freaking cool!) But other than it was a much needed and wonderful trip! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

_"Mooooooommmm! This is crazy! Why are you making me do this!"_

_"Oh come on! You never know what might happen and wouldn't you rather be protected than be rapped or killed? Now take a stance and attack me! Go on!" _

_Bella rolled her 11 year-old grey eyes at her hyper mother. How this 29 year old lady had more energy than her daughter, Isabella Marcone would never understand. But she huffed and attacked her mother just as she was told to do earning a laugh and a sturdy hand clap from her mom. "Great job sweet heart! Now I'll feel better if you are attacked while I'm gone!" Celina stood up brushing the grass stains off of her pants and then wrapped an arm around her daughters awkwardly growing shoulders. _

_As a pre-teen, Bella was just awkward. Her face covered in pimples, braces on her small and crooked teeth... hell, her boobs were still non-existent to a point of Bella not even believing she was a female. "I really wish you didn't have to go..." The amber haired girl looked to her feet as she and her mother walked back towards the porch of her grandmother's house. "Or I wish Dad-"  
_

_"That's enough. You know I have a duty to uphold Izzy." Celina stopped walking turning her daughter to face the tall standing woman. "I know you miss him, Iz, but he's not comin' back." _

_Bella frowned looking down at her mother's baggy camo pants tucked into her brown combat boots. "I know, but I-"_

_"Enough."_

_The young teenager looked to her mothers face with a glare...and then faded to a confused facade. Were those tears in her mother's eyes? Her mother never cried, especially about her father. "Mom, I'm sorry...I'm just going to miss you..." She hugged her mother's small waist feeling the strong muscles of her abdomen that she kept in shape every morning during her workouts. _

_"I'm going to miss you too..."_

* * *

"What the hell?" Bella moaned at the tender soreness engulfing her pounding head while trying to contain the twisting in her stomach making her want to vomit all of her insides on the floor in front of her. As she attempted to lift her heavy eyelids, all she could make from the blurriness were bright glittering sparks flying around her head. "Damn…it."

"We're okay…" Natasha's voice came from Bella's side, her eyes could only focus on curly red hair. "Na-Natasha?" Unknowing to her, the red-head had been trapped by her ankles from the falling debris.

Blinking away the blur from her vision, the young agent could only assume that the two had fallen down to the mechanical room of the ship. She looked up swaying slightly from the dizziness, confirming the massive hole from the ceiling from at least two floors.

Bella looked back down to the floor trying to pull her legs from underneath her to a sitting position but instead winced painfully. Apparently she had landed directly on her right hip, causing the cut on her thigh to throb as she tried to move it from the stationary position. Once again, she felt as if she was about to relieve of her insides as she pushed pass the pain to pull her legs from underneath.

She looked around the rest of the room, trying to distract her mind from the throbbing pain throughout her body and then her focus sharpened at the man that had fallen alongside of her and Widow. "Bruce!" She looked carefully as he woke up from his position and began to hunch his back upwards. "Bruce, you need to calm down…" he began to twitch his head and legs moaning with every move.

"We're okay, right?" The other female gasped noticing the man's bucking.

Bella reached her hand out to touch his arm, hoping she could bring him back to reality before it was too late. "Bruce, please listen to me…" Bella wheezed pulling her chest forward towards his alter-ego. "You need to relax. I swear on my life, everything is-"

Bruce turned to the young woman and roared interrupting her statement, "Your life!"

She only stared back at the beast knowing Bruce Banner had been lost within the 'other guy's' mind. His skin had darkened, taking on a hint of green, while the once fragile and small muscles in his back and forearms began to bulge. The shirt on his back began to rip causing the seems to screech and echo through Bella's sore head.

She and Natasha could only stare with their jaws dropped as Banner's muscles grew pass what could be humanly possible. Bella recalled going to the gym on her off days with Liz. There always seemed to be this muscle head body-builder working out whenever the two were there. He was reminiscent of a dumb muscle head from the infamous Jersey Shore TV show since he had black spiky hair and tanned skin as well, which caused she and Liz to make fun of him whenever he wasn't looking.

However, this was not the time to be making fun of the big green Hulk or even to be thinking about that stupid Jersey body-builder from the gym, she shook her thoughts away watching the hulk run to the corner of the room. He almost looked frightened by his own statue in the reflection of the shiny metal walls.

"Isabella!"

Looking back at the red-head, Bella's eyes widened not knowing what to do in the heat of the moment.

"Run! Go!"

She shook her head and then turned back to face Banner. By this point his skin shined a vibrant shade of green and he seemed to be breathing extremely heavily. "Bruce, please you have to-" The Hulk raised a giant green hand in the air crashing it down on top of Bella's form cutting her out of her current statement. Colliding with the steel wall caused her already sore head to pound even more furiously after the attack.

Bella slid down the wall to a sitting position watching and noting the pure strength and power of the Hulk. The monster looked to her, and then back at Widow, trying to decide which female he was going to attack next.

"Nat," Bella slid up the wall pushing herself out into the open as her feet stood to position, "hurry up and free your damn leg!"

Hulk huffed a hot and snotty breath and then lunged towards the amber-haired woman. "_Thank god for my mom's crazy 'field tests' she made me do…" _She smiled to herself avoiding the swings of the monster. Although her last couple of dodges were missing the assault a little too close for comfort.

Eventually, she lost her footing as Bella looked to see if Widow had become free from her capture only to feel her body being thrown back towards the empty hall of the room landing on her stomach.

"Run, Isabella! Go now!" Natasha had stood with her foot finally freed and tossed something to her comrade._ "A dart gun?" _Bella looked at the shiny gun like a new toy and then raised her head as the Hulk roared again diminishing what was left of her courage.

Bella's amber hair bounced as she nodded her head and took off running in a direction. She hadn't known where she was heading, but she didn't care. She had watched the pure power and violence those video clips of the Hulk portrayed. Even when Bruce had asked her if she was afraid of him, she calmly replied no, even though she (and probably he, too) knew she was lying through her teeth.

The Hulk roared once again and she felt the ship shake causing her to fall onto her hands and knees. Mysteriously, her normal gun had fallen from it's pouch on her belt, falling underneath a piece of machinery . There was no time to go after it. Pushing aside the tender and most likely bruising of her legs, she continued to run, her hair flopping messily in her face while her breath increased with each step.

"Shit!" She cried ducking out of the way just before a metal pipe crumbled on top of her figure. Although she wasn't as scared for the collision as much as she was to the thunderous roar closing in on her position. "Damn!" She lunged to the side hiding just in the nick of time before Bruce's alter-ego could reach her.

Peeking her head out slowly, Bella watched the green beast huff and puff looking around for his prey's position.

Quickly throwing her dart gun into her gun pouch, a shaky and scared hand seemed to make its way to cover her mouth trying to contain her heavy breathing. _"This is bad…this is very very bad…"_ She thought as her fragile hand shook her mouth closed.

"Doctor Banner?" A strong voice boomed from the center of the room pulling Bella away from her nervous thoughts of dying by large green hands. Peaking her head up, Bella looked hopefully to sound of the Norris God.

Similar to the game, wack-a-mole, Hulk quickly swatted the rubble she hid behind causing her to flop hopelessly to the side. She clutched her head tightly only awaiting the beating she was about to take... _"This is going to hurt..." _

Instead she was left un-harmed, only hearing a grunt and then a roar while the ground shook underneath her back. Pulling her arms away from her face, Bella sat up watching the blonde man tangle with the green beast. "Thor!" She cried out watching him fight with the Hulk. A mean swing of his metal hammer connected with Hulk's jaw pushing him back away from the woman.

"RUN!" Thor yelled quickly looking at her and then swung his hammer once again reading himself for another attack.

She didn't complain, as fast as her feet could take her, Bella ran and lunged pass the fight through the room until she made her way to the familiar hallway towards the lab.

Many running and frantic SHIELD agents passed and some even offered the bleeding woman help. But she only pushed aside their offers determined to find one person...

And this one person wore an eye patch.

* * *

"Damn my sense of direction!" Bella cursed under her breath looking around for the direction of the command center. She grunted suddenly being forced to the ground from the monstrous rumbling of the ship.

"Engine 3 is down! Repeat: Engine 3 is down. All agents report to your base immediately."

_"Yea…about that…"_ She thought picking herself back up. _"Don't exactly think I would do well in the lab with a massive hole in the floor." _ She continued to sprint trying to find a way out from the hall.

Turning the corner, Bella noticed two SHIELD agents up ahead with large machine guns held tightly in their hands. She was about to question the men until they began to shoot at her messily not even hitting her as she ducked and quickly pulled herself against the wall. "Don't shoot! It's just me, Agent Marcone!" She called out hearing shuffling noises running towards her position.

The two men made their way to face the young SHIELD agent, and Bella offered the familiar agents a welcoming smile. "Finally, a friendly-" She began to speak until the one she knew as Agent Reinhold punched her stomach suddenly and kicked her down the hallway.

"What the hell, Zack?" She yelled hoping back to her feet looking up at the men. "Wait a sec..." Not that Bella paid much attention to Zack in the past, but she knew for a fact that his eyes weren't blue…well, at least not a daunting crystal blue, anyways.

He raised his machine gun at the woman offering her an expressionless face while tightening his hand on the clutch ready to fire at his female target.

Bella avoided his attack rolling forwards just in the nick of time. With a stern frown, she pulled the dart gun out from its position and shot him in the neck causing the man to fall over. Before Agent Cardozo, the other possessed man, had a chance to attack, she shot him in the chest and neck stunning him as well.

Bella sighed letting her head hang low between her knees as she bent over. "Loki…" She muttered hungrily taking in as much oxygen as her lungs would allow. Her hair only seemed to block her view of her comrades as she attempted to look over at the stunned men. "Damn! I need a ponytail holder!" She twisted her hair back from her face and then stood up.

She felt guilty taking a final glance down towards the two men…

No, they weren't dead, but the fact that they were being controlled against their will causing her to forcefully attack them made her feel somewhat accountable for their situation.

"Just keep moving forwards..." She stomped through the hallway irritated beyond belief. Ready for any other type of surprise attack, Bella kept the stun gun in her hands defensively not trusting anyone she came into contact with at this point. Out of habit, she would so often twirl the gun in her hands, a trick her mother showed to her as a kid, whenever she walked down a long and empty hallway.

About to give up after what seemed to be like forever, the Agent made her way towards a threshold at the end of the hall. Sparking her interest for the moment, Bella passed through the entry-way, but then instantly wished she hadn't as soon as she took note of the situation in the room.

"Coulson!"

The middle-aged Agent had been resting his back on the wall with his chest slumped down. Never before had she had felt this on-edge. Even when Loki had passed by her in the lab she hadn't felt this worried, not this scared…

"Coulson…Phill!" She bent down in front of the injured man cupping his chin and trying to keep his eyes open while she examined his body for the source of his pain.

And then she saw the blood...

Blood that seemed to drench his white collared shirt from underneath his suit jacket. She cautiously pushed the jacket aside and gasped looking at his freshly sliced chest.

"What happened?" She placed the jacket back into position disgusted by the sight before her and then noticed a strange gun in his lap. She quickly pushed the very heavy object to the side, "Phill?" She cupped his chin once again lightly tapping his cheek with her other hand. "Stay with me, please!"

He only smiled, blood running from his lips. "You…you know…"

"Shhh. Please. You have to come with me. Hurry I'll call the doctors and-"

"You look just like your father…" He smiled genuinely.

Bella widened her eyes looking at the face of the dying man. "W-wha-t?" She only gasped letting her hands fall by her hips. How did he know who her father was? Why? Out of all times, why now did he have to mention her father in a time at this moment?

As dire as this moment was, he chose now to mention her father...?

"Agent Marcone!"Looking back hopelessly, she stepped aside looking to Commander Fury. "What happened?"

"I-I don't know…? I just saw him and-" It was then that she observed what room she had been in.

It was the glass caged room.

The room Loki was supposed to be in...but neither he nor the glass was in the room.

"Call the paramedics, Marcone! Coulson are you good?"

Bella ran to the telephone on the wall punching in the code for the doctors to arrive and then looked back down at the two. Fury was kneeled down in the position she had been in moments before. "Sorry boss…" He breathlessly gasped through a slight smile. "The guy rabbited."

Bella bit her lips not even trying to fight the tears from falling. She felt her chest buckle hopelessly giving into silent cries.

"Just stay awake. Eyes on me."

Faintly smiling, Coulson took a breath, "I'm clocked out here..."

"Not an option."

Bella stood there. Watching. Hopeless and useless only waiting for the appropriate personal to assist her friend. Phil couldn't die...he just...couldn't...

"It's okay, boss. This was never going to work...if they didn't have, something to..." He didn't finish his statement…his face was lifeless, completely empty, as he stared at nothing.

"N-No…" She gasped looking at his lifeless face. _"God damnit!" _She covered her eyes while leaning her back into the wall. Coulson was gone…another friend, another comrade…dead.

She cried silently trying to hide her emotions from her employer.

She never forgot Fury's words from the first day he had hired her. _"…only if you're strong enough."_

All throughout her short three years, she had never let herself forget those words. But now, having lost Liz, Selvig, and now Coulson…she wasn't sure if she could be any stronger.

"Agent Marcone..."

Bella wiped her tears with her thumb and pointer finger staring back at the standing Commander. Awaiting a response, Fury opened his mouth and then shut it not finding the right words to comfort the woman.

Glaring at the one-eyed man, Bella stood from the wall, "How much longer…?" He watched her cautiously not responding.

Pushing aside all of the emotions she had spilled on the floor from her comrades death, Bella sniffed and continued, "How much longer… are you going to lie to us? Until there's no one…no one left to fight for your lies?" Her hands clenched into tight fists by her sides.

Furry only continued to watch her wearily providing no answer for her question.

"Fine." She looked to Coulson saying a silent prayer for his soul and then turned about face marching from out of the room.

* * *

**Was it that bad? Or am I just being critical? Please respond! I need to knowwwwww! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**I love the reviews you guys have been giving me! Keep em coming!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

Isabella Marcone sat with her arms folded across the black onyx SHIELD table resting her head on her right arm. With the force of her chin, she was probably self-inflicting a bruise on her forearm, but she honestly hadn't a care.

As to the events that had just been played out, all Agent Marcone wanted to do was sit at the table in the somewhat quiet command center alone...Everything seemed to be, well, calm to say in the least.

This moment truly inspired the term, "calm before the storm" she thought taking in a deep breath. Moving her legs to cross the right one overtop of her left, she winced feeling the familiar pain throbbing from her right thigh.

During the attack with the Hulk, she had mindlessly forgotten that her SHIELD uniform was not fitted correctly leaving her medium sized waist and hips strained in the outfit. Now that her body had calmed from the adrenaline rush, the pain reminded her of her humanly and most certainly her non-superhuman strength.

Sitting her head up into the air and then huffing her back into the plush cushion of the black leather chair, Bella heard a group of footsteps walking down the hallway towards the table. She only grunted when she observed who the group had been.

"Commander." Bella replied standing from her chair and nodding her head. Her look had been stern looking into his one good eye. Then she looked to the two men at his side, Steve Rogers and Tony Stark. "Gentlemen…" She nodded to each one and then turned pacing out of the room without another word.

As she walked down the hallway, she managed to hear slight echoes of her name, "Marcone! Bella!" Coming from Captain America…but she refused to answer.

Stopping in her tracks, Bella looked down to her feet, her hair messily shadowing her sad and pathetic face. "Mom…" She whispered to her boots and then flipped her hair out from her face continuing forwards.

"You would probably be better talking to a wall, Captain." Furry responded to Rogers' call for the young agent. "She's having a moment."

Rogers and Stark took a seat at the table bowing their heads. They too felt this 'calm before the storm' sensation Bella felt merely moments ago. Fury pulled something from out of his trench-coat pocket holding the object carefully. He lifted his head up to Steve throwing the deck of bloody cards across the table. "These were in Phil Coulson's jacket…guess he never did get you to sign them…"

* * *

Bella mindlessly wondered down the hallway of the Hellicarrier not really caring where she would end up. Even if she were to fall off the damn ship, she wouldn't care at this point. Her world, her life, everything she had done and worked for seemed meaningless.

Eventually, Bella stopped just before she ran into a pole. Lifting her eyes up from her spot focused on the ground, she groaned in annoyance to the place her feet had taken her back too.

The room Coulson had died right in front of her.

She looked to the wall, still smothered in his blood and then griped the railing afraid she might have thrown-up from the sight, or throw herself over into the pit below.

"Goddamnit!" She yelled out shaking the sturdy metal railing trying to release her anger consuming her body. Is this how Bruce felt? She had to admit, she would really like to turn super Hulk right about now and just destroy this blasted ship to the ground.

She stopped her frustration on the innocent rail and soon the sound of her heavy breathing filled the quiet room.

_"Mom…I wish you were here. You could tell me what to do…what to say…how to act in this situation…" _She thought about her mother's stories from the war in Iraq. Even her mother had lost allies in battles, but Bella was not in the Army. She wasn't a solider…and neither were Liz or Coulson. It just wasn't fair… _"And then to hear Coulson say something about Dad…What does it mean, Mom?" _

She closed her eyes trying to visualize an image of her father but nothing would come to memory. He had left her and her mother when she was 10, but even before that he had finally asked to marry Celina when Bella was 6. She only spent a distant 4 years with the man that gave her life…

How strong of a woman Celina Marcone had to be…to tell her daughter at a young age why she didn't have a daddy. And then to finally have one, but then tell the little girl that her daddy is a mean man…She visualized her mother's almost perfect face. Her square jaw line and short black hair. Her smile, often referred to as being masculine, with the two dimples Bella had grown to love since she first laid her eyes on her mother as an infant. Her mother had the hardest job of being both a father and a mother for Bella.

And she wouldn't take back any moment she had ever spent with Celina Marcone.

Opening her eyes, she stared back to the wall with the blood from Phil Coulson… He knew her father. Whether it was on good terms or bad, somehow Phil knew the man and even compared him to her just before he took his last breaths.

Earning a groan and a frustrated hair grab, Bella shook her head closing her eyes. She was beginning to get a headache from everything.

Just then, a set of steady footsteps made their way into the room as well. Looking up and through her hair, Bella watched carefully as Tony Stark made his way in front of the woman. "Sweet cakes?" He offered her a smile but then lifted an eyebrow when she didn't respond.

The two stood there in silence only hearing a low rumble of the ships engines until another set of footsteps entered from behind. Stark lifted his head pass Bella towards Rogers in the corner. "Captain." He muttered with a nod and then focused back to the female. "Bells I-"

"Do not call me, '_Bells_', Stark!" She raised her head crossing her eyebrows at the man. "Liz was the only one to call me that, so… stop…" The anger in her voice managed to disappear at her last sentence.

The three stood in silence once again, until Steve could no longer take the tension thickening in the room. "How long had you known her?"

Bella looked to the blonde man, who figuratively had his tail between his legs hoping he wouldn't be reprimanded for his question. Bella sighed and looked into his blue eyes. "Since I joined. She was my best friend. My only friend. I didn't have time to party and get into trouble when I went to college. I had to finish as fast as I could, I didn't have money and…" her words faded not wanting to tell these men she had only just met her whole story. "Coulson was a good friend too…"

"Was he married?" Steve looked kindly to Bella.

"No," Stark responded after the scolding agent refused to answer. "Well, there was a cellist, I think."

"I'm sorry...He seemed like a good man," Steve walked closer to the young woman attempting to comfort her by his position.

"He was an idiot," Tony half-assed a chuckle looking towards the now glaring amber-haired woman.

"Why? For believing?" Bella muttered out annoyed by his attitude.

Tony only shook his head as the captain walked towards him. "For taking on Loki alone-"

"He was doing his job." Steve muttered through clenched teeth indicating with his eyes towards the woman to his back.

The genius scoffed. "No, he was out of his league! H- he should have waited!"

"Is this the first time you lost a soldier?" Steve raised an eyebrow now catching Bella's attention from behind.

"We are _NOT _soldiers." Bella pulled Steve's arm back from Tony barely. A superhuman he was indeed. Even when he wasn't trying, Bella could almost barley move him. "Coulson and Liz were NOT _soldiers._ I am _NOT _a soldier! And I am NOT marching to Fury's fife!"

"Well, neither am I…" The captain placed a gentle hand on Bella's shoulder but she quickly shoved it off walking away from the two gentlemen down the hall way.

Rogers was about to chase after the woman as he noticed the saddening look in her eye when she had mentioned the word 'solider' but instead Tony Stark held him back. "Just don't Cap…" He muttered looking as the young woman walked away from his sight.

"Fury's got the same blood on his hands that Loki does. But right now we've got to put that behind us if we want to get thisdone." Rogers looked back at the well groomed man and then continued, "Now, Loki needs a power source. If we can put together a list-"

"He made it personal," Stark cut into the captain's statement walking towards the hall Bella had just walked down. "To us and to her…"

"That's not the point-"

"That _is_ the point! That's Loki's point. He hit us all right where we live. Why?" Tony looked to the ground walking forward, lost in his own thoughts.

"To tear us apart…" Steve retaliated not understanding the meaning of the whole situation.

"Yeah, divide and conquer is great, but, he knows he has to take us out to win, right? _That's_ what he wants_._ He wants to beat us…he wants to be seen doing it…he wants an audience." Stark looked to the blue eyes of the Captain understanding the situation the group had been put in.

"Right, I caught his act in Stuttgart." Rogers nodded slightly still not fully understanding Stark's realization.

"That's just the previews. This_…_this is opening night. And Loki, he's a full tailed diva. He wants the flowers, he wants parades, he wants a monument built in the skies with his name plastered-" Stark stopped his thoughts. "Son of a bitch!"

* * *

Blinking away the tears in her grey eyes, Bella once again mindlessly walked down the hallway not caring where she would end up. After a few strides and minutes of walking she found herself in front of an opened door looking through to see who was behind it.

Widening her eyes, she quickly threw herself back against the wall not believing the sight she had just witnessed. _"Was that really Natasha and Clint kissing? Or is my head just playing tricks on me?" _She ran a nervous hand through her hair now turning her head towards the squeaky door.

"Isabella?" Natasha raised an eyebrow at the woman's distressed state and offered her a hand in.

"Marcone." Clint stood from his position revealing a slight and embarrassed smile. "Good to see you still in one piece."

Bella nodded her head still with her back and neck plastered on the wall. "Yea, good to see you too." She replied nervous.

"Please…you look upset." Widow offered her another nod inside finally pushing Bella to walk into the infirmary with the two.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be interrupt-"

"You weren't" Natasha smiled with her plump red lips and then looked to Clint who only gave an expressionless face. "Are you okay?"

Bella only shook her head watching Clint walk towards the bathroom. "No…I just…Loki…" She groaned resting her forehead in her palms while the red-head patted her back slightly.

"Seems like he's screwed everything up around here." Clint's voice spoke through the door. His voice had a hint of annoyance and humor behind it.

About to speak, Bella had been cut off by the closed door of the room being pushed aside. "Time to-" Steve Rogers entered looking back at the two female agents staring at him as if he had interrupted, which technically he had… "Time to go." He shook his head finishing his previous statement.

Natasha tilted her head slightly confused. "Go where?" she asked.

"I'll tell you on the way," Steve responded catching a glimpse from Bella's eyes. "Can you fly one of those jets?" He looked back to the red-head.

Bella stood up, "I can!" She yelled a bit loudly walking in front of Rogers. Hopefully this could be her moment to have revenge on Loki. No, an agent in her position should not be out fighting with the superheroes, but she needed this moment to release all the anger built up inside of her.

Steve and the other's knew this as well.

The door to the bathroom interrupted the Captain revealing Agent Barton, "You're going to need two pilots. I can too," he nodded to Bella and then to the opposing man.

The last time Steve had seen this man, he had been under Loki's control. He looked skeptical to Widow who only nodded her head as a confirmation of Barton's psychological state.

"You got a suit?" Steve questioned the man.

Barton only nodded, "Then suit up." He ordered and then looked to the amber-haired female, "You too."

Bella smiled, "Already suited, Captain!"

* * *

After Steve had hilariously kicked out the Agent working on the jet they were going to steal to face Loki's army in New York City, Bella and Clint climbed into the cock-pit seats readying themselves for the flight.

"Stark?" Bella called out as the suited Iron Man attempted to get a head start from the Jet, "We are going to be receiving on channel 22, communicate with us on there." She nodded putting a small earpiece communicator in her right ear. She then handed Clint and the other two the small circular ear piece.

"Got it Sweet Cakes." Stark nodded and then his iron mask disguised his face as he jumped from out of the jet and into the air. They had planned on attempting to get Stark to distract Loki and then try to stop Selvig from completing the portal while the others made their way in the jet. Yes, a jet was fast, but not as fast as Iron Man and JARVIS.

"What is this?" Steve questioned picking up the tiny black earpiece from Bella's hand. She only giggled and tapped to her right ear showing him how she had put in on. "It's a way for us to communicate if we get separated. I have extra in case Thor or Bruce show up…" She turned back griping the steering stick nervously. "I hope they are okay…"

"They are big boys." Clint snorted flipping a few switches, "Bruce may be a little _moody_, but he can handle his own…I don't know much about the other As-guard, was it?" He looked to the young woman trying to give her a pep talk. She nodded to his statement attempting to clear her mind from the others.

"Hold onto your horse's folks," Bella started the engine and then flipped a green switch to start the thrusters. She looked to Clint once again and then back to focus on driving the complicated jet, "3-2-" but the jet had taken off right before Bella could utter the word, "one".


	8. Chapter 8

**True life, the Mummy Egyptian museum thing happened to me a couple years back. I was pissed! So I thought I'd share. Haha, anyways...this is a little short but it's still good!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

Isabella had only been to New York City twice in her life. The first was for the anniversary of the Twin Towers destruction. It was a trip her mother insisted the two take to honor those that had died for the sake of the country. During that trip, Celina decided she too wanted to fight for her country and thus enlisted in the Army after their return.

The second time Bella visited the big apple was to attend a school provided tour of the museums in the city. The highlight of the trip was to see a touring exhibit of King Tut, the Egyptian ruler. It was promised that they would see the actual mummy of the boy king but it turned to be a scam with a nicely decorated 'replica' of the mummy.

Angered by her professors and the exhibit, Bella didn't want to go back after spending and saving so much money to go on the trip. It was worth it in the end, but then again she could have used the money to take a class instead of taking a trip.

However, right now as she and the other three flew over top of the city, she couldn't help but thank herself for at least seeing the city before all of the destruction that was about to obliterate it. "Stark!" She yelled through the headset seeing his tower in the distance. "We're here."

"What did you stop for drive thru? Swing up to the side of the tower. Loki and Thor are there!" Tony yelled back.

Completely astounded by the alien attack, Bella didn't have the chance to respond and instead shifted the jet through the city and the attacks coming from the invaders. "Clint, you got the guns!" She yelled barely maneuvering through a blast. He only nodded and took control of the fighting back.

Meanwhile, Captain and Widow were trying their best to hang on for dear life while standing in the back of the three man jet plane. "Hey Bella, could you try to steer this a little-"Steve grunted holding onto the ceiling.

"Cap, we've got alien's shooting at us, we are literally under attack! Put on your big boy panties and hang on!" The agent yelled back twisting the ship around a building to hide from a gang of flying alien scooters. "I hate these guys!" She muttered running away from the creatures.

"Hold on…" Clint pushed a red button and fired at the group disarming and retreating them from the jet's position. Bella smiled receiving from the archer a high five and then continued to fly the jet towards Stark Tower.

Just as Iron Man stated, Loki and Thor had been fighting on the balcony of the building. She had to give Tony his credits, even as the world around her and the others was being practically destroyed, the building was pretty sweet. Decorated from head to toe and lavished in expensive marble and stone.

"Clint?" Bella questioned as the jet neared to the two Gods dueling. "I see 'em." He smiled and began to target Loki in his strange reindeer looking outfit. What in the world was that headpiece for? Dueling? Taking over the world? Whatever it was, it wasn't stylish at all, Bella thought trying her best not to laugh.

Just before Clint had time to press the button to attack, Loki shot first with the use of his reliable scepter. The left wing had been hit, including the destruction of the engine located on that side as well.

Trying to keep a calm face, Bella attempted to gain control of the panicked jet but, being this high up in the air was proving rather difficult.

Not letting the shaking in her hands get to her head, the woman shifted the Jet into complete manual control motioning for Clint to help her take control of the plane as well. The un-welcoming feeling of her stomach twisting into strong knots was hard to be strong for the others but somehow Bella managed to do so.

Thank God she had learned to clear her mind in emergencies…if she hadn't learned how to do so, she was pretty sure the jet would have crashed on the spot.

As the plane neared the ground, she realized they would need to land.

Yet, another problem.

With the left engine down, it would be hard to get the increase acceleration to slow enough for a smooth landing. "Hang on. Bumpy ride!" Bella yelled readying her grip on the control as they crashed down on the asphalt roadway pushing aside pieces of the road and sidewalk as they slowed down to a stop.

"Nice job." Clint un-buckled his seat giving the amber haired girl a thumbs up.

"Is that what just happened?" Steve whispered not so quietly to Natasha making Bella roll her eyes as she un-buckled herself as well. The four ran out of the back of the jet and onto the streets.

My… how they had _not_ prepared themselves for the sight of the city.

Glass shards from buildings, large pieces of cement scattered about, cars mangled and turned on their backs, and even a few motionless bodies lying around. To top off everything, from out of the portal right above Stark Tower a giant metal slug looking creature was flying around the sky of the city. From the monster's sides, even more aliens descended attaching to the buildings ready to fight.

"Great." Bella muttered pulling her medium-length hair into the random pony-tail holder she had found in the medic room. Luckily, she placed it around her wrist for safekeeping and now she was thanking her own self for doing so.

"Stark, you seeing this?" Steve yelled out. His voice seemed to be twice as loud since the ear piece was still in Bella's ear.

"Seeing…" Tony replied, "still working on believing. Where's Banner, has he shown up yet?"

Bella made a face looking around the running civilians of the city. The entire area was a mess. Even if Bruce was here, it wouldn't be easy to find him. Not to mention he had fallen from the Helicarrier about two hours ago in the middle of nowhere. Did Tony really believe Bruce would come back after everything that had happened earlier?

If she were in Banner's shoes, she would sure as hell not come back to this…this madness…this was insane, to a point of her questioning her own sanity.

"Banner?" Steve replied just as shocked as Bella had been.

"Just keep me posted!"

Ducking at the sensation of a blast above her head, Bella and the others readied themselves as the Chitauri aliens made their way towards the four. Smiling at the round already packed into the gun, Bella aimed and fired her weapon hitting a couple of the attackers. Widow and Hawkeye did the same.

Bella hadn't fought in a long time and the smile plastered on her face couldn't contain its structure as she took down the aliens. "If only my momma could see me now." She laughed fighting alongside of Steve.

He looked down at her with a questionable attitude and then jumped in front of her body protecting her and him from a blast of the Chitauri's gun. Bella retaliated with a bullet to its head and then rolled from out of the protection of the shield towards a busted taxi.

Quickly putting in a new round of bullets, the female agent popped from out of the side and fired the aliens in her way. She was attempting to follow Clint and Natasha as they maneuvered through the broken streets.

Catching up to the two, the three SHIELD agents huddled against another abandoned taxi cab taking a bit of a breather during the moment. "We've got civilians trapped over there." Clint nodded to the newest incomer of the group, Captain. He nodded with his mouth slightly parted showing his exhaustion by the heaviness of his breath.

Just then the four ducked at a loud rumbling sound that seemed to pass the group over head. "Loki..." Bella muttered catching a glimpse of his 'reindeer games' head piece. They watched as his hover jet blasted the cars and street below their position causing a small mushroom cloud from the explosion. "This is insane..." She muttered wiping some blood from her busted lip.

Just then, a group of aliens couched down in their position causing Widow to jump up and shoot them defensively while the others sat flabbergasted. Clint reached behind his back taking a hold of an arrow and shooting it just before one attacked Cap. "Go..." Bella looked to Steve, "We got this." She nodded seriously causing a wave of panic to burst on his face.

"Do you think you can hold them off?" He yelled to Clint not taking Bella's word on the matter.

"Captain," The Hawk smiled, "It would be my genuine pleasure." He reached for another arrow jumping up and attacking the incoming invaders.

"Told ya." Bella smiled coping Barton's enthusiasm by shooting off the surrounding Chitauri. "Go, I'll cover you!"

Like a speeding bullet from hell, Steve ran towards a group of gawking police in order to inform the officers of the situation. Keeping true to her word, Bella shot and distracting incoming aliens from getting in his way, while Widow and Hawk helped the citizens trapped in a burning toppled bus. After they had finished, the two made their way over to their companion agent firing their weapons at the attackers.

"This is just like Budapest all over again."

Clint only raised an eyebrow, "You and I remember Budapest very differently."

"Aww." Bella smiled reloading her gun, "You two make such a cute and yet deadly couple. Remind me never to travel on vacation with you." The two SHIELD agents glared at Bella for the moment and then continued to attack. Eventually, the Chitauri were beginning to close in on their location and it called for some hand to hand combat.

Not to say Bella wasn't prepared for defending herself this way, it just wasn't a means she was used too. Guns worked so much better. You shoot the person and they either fall over or die. When fighting hand to hand, you either hit or miss and piss off the person...or in this case the alien.

Natasha and herself had done a pretty good job at fighting them off, while Clint had some issues. Noting his distressed state, Bella twirled her gun from out of its pocket into her hand and shot the surrounding aliens from him. Unfortunately, that caused the two Chitauri on her back the perfect opportunity to strike.

Hawkeye slid on his knees shooting two arrows at once to the aliens attacking the amber-haired woman and helped her up. "Thanks." She muttered catching a glimpse of across the battlefield, Rogers had instructed a few of the squawking and terror-struck police-men to rescue citizens. However, the chief had other plans and did not want to be commanded by some wacko in a red, white and blue costume.

That was, until, the aliens decided to pay the police and Steve a visit. Standing from position, Bella fired and stopped a Chitauri from wiping out Rogers while his back was turned fighting off the aliens from the sides. Bella began to twirl her gun (out of habit) while watching Rogers fight off the aliens single handily.

"I need men in those buildings!" The chief of police barked out Steve's orders from before, now, not questioning the man in the silly costume. Well it wasn't that silly…at least her mother would be proud to see a man walking around wearing stars and stripes.

Bella nodded to Steve as he looked back to make sure she and the other two were okay. "Nice job, Cap." She smiled and then looked to the right as more aliens closed in on the four. "Where do they keep coming from!" She grunted while Steve pushed one away from her with the use of his mighty shield. Just then bolts of lightning surrounded the cornering aliens.

"Thor!"

Indeed the God of Thunder had been returned to the others in the heat of the battle. They had seen him fighting his crazy-ass brother from Stark Tower earlier, but now it was sure to say that he was alright from the battle in the Hellicarrier.

"Lady Bella." He nodded standing from his kneeling position. "You are fighting?"

She nodded and then shot a few aliens pass Thor, "Yea. Thanks for saving my sorry ass on the ship. I couldn't hurt Bruce like I can to these guys." She smiled and then watched as the God ran towards her swinging his hammer at the alien attacking the woman's back. "Andddddd thanks again. Damn, I owe you."

Thor huffed raising an eyebrow. "Owe me? You are in no debt to me Lady."

She only giggled firing her gun towards more attacking aliens. The more they all seemed to fight, the more the Chitauri seemed to make their way to the position. It almost seemed as if they were wasting their energy fighting when they should focus on shutting the portal.

"What's the story upstairs?" Steve asked in their brief moment of peace.

"The cube is impenetrable." He hastily responded pushing aside the golden locks of hair from his sweating forehead.

"Captain!" Bella yelled running towards the blue-suited man. "We are going nowhere fast with this fight if we don't shut down that portal." She huffed trying to make her words as clear as possible through her breathing. "I saw Selvig up on the Tower, if I can get to him, maybe I can shut it down."

"No good Sweet Cakes." Tony's voice sounded on the intercom, "We've gotta just deal with these guys."

Groaning, Bella leaned against a piece of rubble while Steve attempted to bring the other Avengers to a huddle. "There's gotta be some way to beat it out of Erik. Literally…" She responded.

"Well, if you can do that Sweet Cakes, I will personally fly you to Malibu after this is over."

"Looking forward to it…" She frowned nodding for Steve to instruct the others into battle.

"How do we do this?" Tasha questioned while Steve was quick to reply, "As a team."

"I have unfinished business with Loki." Thor growled causing Clint to snort, "Oh yea? Get in line." He eyed the God evilly.

"Save it!" Steve looked towards the sky still trying to figure out a plan to stop the giant flying slug monster. "Loki wants to keep this fight focused on us and that's what we need, so that these aliens don't go running around wild. We got Stark up top and-"

The rumbling of a broken and pathetic motor engine interrupted the Captain from his commanding orders. As the rusted bike made its way to the huddled group, a confused and overwhelmed Bruce Banner hoped off the old bike smirking at the others.

Everyone was silent watching the dangerous man walk near them. To a normal person's eye, Bruce would look feeble, tattered, and un-impressive in his oversized and dusty looking clothes. But to Bella and the other superheroes, they knew this man could destroy an entire block. The area of Harlem especially knew that.

"So…" He walked forwards motioning with his hands to the destruction of everything. "This all seems… horrible…"

Placing the gun in the side pocket for the moment, Bella nodded and crossed her arms. "I've seen worse…" she spoke reliving the moments where Bruce's alter-ego had been dead-set on killing her.

Bruce paused looking to the woman, "Sorry." He only muttered.

"No." She paused taking a quick breather, "We could use… a little worse."

A spark flew from Bruce's eye. Had she really forgiven him for his actions so quickly? Of course she had. From the way Fury and the other SHIELD members had been treating the doctor, she was honestly surprised that he was here alongside of the others instead of heading back to India.

"Stark, we got him." Steve smiled.

"Who? Banner?"

"Just like you said…" The Captain nodded looking to his team.

"Well tell him to suit up. I'm bringing the party to you!"

A monstrous roar shook the ground underneath Bella's boots causing her and the other's to look towards the source of the noise. As Tony had stated through the intercom system, he was bringing the Chitauri leviathan towards the others- or rather, he was allowing the beast to chase him, while he flew towards the others.

"I-I don't see how that's a party…?" Black Widow stuttered feeling a bit distressed by the sheer size of the alien. Readying her weapons, Bella pulled out a pack of three hand-grenades into her palm ready to set them off and throw it to the beast.

Bruce began to walk slowly from his awe-struck position towards the alien as it inched closer and closer to their position.

"Doctor Banner. Now might be a really good time for you to get angry." Steve nodded as the fragile looking doctor continued walking.

"That's my secret, Captain…" Bruce looked back at the others catching Bella's gaze, "I'm always angry." He replied continuing to look at her. Bella felt on-edge as she watched Bruce's skin change from a dull pale to an energetic green shade. The Hulk had returned once again but this time the beast seemed controlled rather than outraged like he had been on the Hellicarrier.

Whatever he was, Bella was just glad the Hulk was on their side.

Raising a hand into the air and then crashing it down on the leviathan alien's head, the Hulk contained and stopped the monster from floating near the gang of Avengers. Not wanting to miss a single moment of the action, Bella mentally braced her body as she stood awe-struck at the sheer strength of the green brute. It was incredible.

Not paying attention, Bella felt something pull her waist from behind as a roaring cry belted out. The heat from what she assumed to be a missile launch came next but luckily for the woman, this person on her back seemed to be protecting her from the attack.

Lifting her head up and to the side, Bella nodded to the face of Steve Rogers hidden behind his blue mask. "Thanks." She muttered as he stood releasing the grip on her waist and his indestructible shield above her head.

Faint screeching cries surrounded the group as a warning from the Chitauri aliens after the destruction of their ally. As a threatening reply, Hulk roared back at them stopping the invaders from their howls instantly. Making a circle around the area Steve and Bella had been in, the other's readied their weapons for another round of fighting.

Clint retrieved an arrow in his hands readying it for action.

Thor had gripped and twirled his hammer prepared to swing.

Black Widow had reloaded a round of bullets into her hand gun.

Captain America maintained the hold of his shield on his right arm.

While Iron Man floated down from his position in the air in between Bella and the Hulk.

Habitually twirling her gun in her hand, Agent Marcone looked out into the flames and destruction that once used to be called New York City feeling overwhelmed by the group she had been included in. Somehow she couldn't shake the feeling that she probably wasn't supposed to be here, or look as cool as the others.

She wasn't a superhero. She wasn't even a soldier. She didn't even have a code name. Isabella Marcone was a college graduate working with SHIELD as a field archeologist.

But standing alongside of the Avengers, she couldn't resist the smile that planted itself on her thin lips. She was one of them for the moment; she was an avenger.


	9. Chapter 9

**So summer classes have started! But ****I was feeling creative after watching the Incredible Hulk movie the other day so I created Bella's SHIELD outfit and look. If your curious here's the link to see her is on my profile! (It's pretty sweet, I must admit)**

******And a huge thanks to The Fool Arcana for editing and offering some creative ideas! You are awesome! And this is the longest chapter I've written so far, so I hoping for lots of reviews! *fingers cross* and I really hope you all enjoy it. I wasn't happy at all with it and after Arcana's help and then a little bit of creative spirit, this masterpiece came about! Enjoy!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

Their moment of victory was short lived watching two more Chitauri leviathans fly from out of the portal above Stark Tower. "Guys..." Bella muttered defensively holding her gun. They needed to shut down that portal in order to stop this madness. Only then could the Avengers gain control and work together to defeat Loki.

"Call it Captain." Tony replied looking to the leader in blue.

"All right, listen up!" Steve turned to face the others. "Until Bella can close that portal up there, what we need is containment. Barton: I want you on that roof, eyes on everything. Call out patterns and strays. Stark: you've got the perimeter. Anything gets more than three blocks out, you turn it back or you turn it to ash."

"Wanna give me a lift?" Hawkeye looked to Iron Man just before he fled the scene.

Stark nodded, "Right. Buckle up Legolas." He grabbed Clint by the waist and without another word flew off.

Bella shook her head trying to back track on Rogers's words a few moments ago. "Hold on." She placed her gun into its pocket crossing her arms afterwards. "How am I supposed to close the portal? How in the world am I supposed to get up there without being seen by an alien or blasted by those snake things?"

Steve only smiled pointing a red gloved finger at Thor, "He can fly too. Thor: you've gotta bottleneck that portal with Belle. Try to slow them down. You've got the lightning - light the bastards up!"

Walking over to the small woman, Thor swung his hammer in his right hand grinning at the nervous look overwhelming in Bella's eyes. "Do not worry, I will aid you." He chuckled picking her up into his left arm as if she weighed nothing and then took off from the ground.

Bella wasn't afraid of heights, hell; she had proved that much by successfully piloting the jet earlier to safety. But being out in the open, flying, with nothing but Thor- the God of Thunder to protect her from falling to her death didn't exactly make one feel very confident in their human abilities.

Luckily, Thor was very fast at flying and soon he landed on the Stark Tower platform across from where Erik Selvig had been working on the portal.

"Go to the top of the building!" Bella yelled to the God. He was probably about a foot and a half taller and she wasn't sure if the man could hear her voice over the sound of the portal or the distance. "Try to see if you can stop them with the fancy light works!"

Nodding, Thor's straggly blonde hair blew through the strong guts of the wind. He then proceeded to fly away in the next second.

Watching him leave was easy, but as Bella turned to face her old friend, she took a deep breath contemplating her position. The hard part. Her hand snaked down her hips to the SHIELD utility belt griping and pulling out a foldable night-stick. Natasha had revealed she ridded Clint of Loki's mind control by hitting him really hard on the head. As much as it would pain her to hurt Selvig, she knew it had to be done.

"Dr. Selvig!" Bella called out walking forwards. Being a little on edge, she ducked down quickly as the sparks of lighting shot from the top of the building- no doubt from Thor. "Sel- Erik!" She yelled again catching the man's attention from the portal. "Please, try to rid yourself of Loki's mind! This has to stop!"

Erik grinned. "You can't stop it now, Agent Marcone." He hadn't shaved or changed his clothes since the day of the attack and honestly, he looked like he could use a few days off. The bulging bags under his bright blue eyes revealed that much.

"Selvig…please…" Bella raised her baton in the air as she neared him. "I don't want to fight you, but I will if I have to."

Selvig only raised the wrench in his hand aimed to take out the woman before she could hurt his precious portal he had worked countless hours on.

"So be it." Bella muttered lunging forwards. Loki's control on her older friend had to be strong; she didn't think he could hold his own on a full-on fight. But maybe he could since Bella was holding back somewhat.

Shaking away the voices of the others yelling through her earpiece, Bella ducked from Erik's grasp and then kicked her legs to his gut, forcing him to drop the metal tool. Finally getting the right opportunity, Bella tripped the man onto his back and then, regretfully, wacked him across the head with the baton. "I'm, I-I'm sorry…" Bella huffed looking down at the bloody cut bulging from his brilliant head.

"Hopefully…" Bella wheezed standing straight up to examine the source of the alien invasion. "He will wake up soon and explain how to disarm all this _shit_…" Placing her hand on the ear piece Bella responded to the others, "Selvig has been recalibrated; now I'm just trying to figure out how to disarm the portal."

"Great job, Sweet Cakes."

"Told you I could do it, Stark. Guess you owe me that vacation?"

"Sure thing."

"Sweet." Bella sighed, "I haven't been on a vacation in three years."

Steve's voice was next, "Let us know if your situation is compromised."

"Sure thing Cap. Be careful down there…" Looking down at the city from atop of the tower reminded her of the Lego play set one of her childhood friends had. She and the young boy would build such grand and exquisite structures out of the various colors of building blocks. Only to have the bully kids smash and destroy their set afterwards.

Yes, besides the fire and deaths, New York City looked very similar to the Lego set.

"Nat? What are you doing?" Clint's voice rang through the earpiece.

Bella tried to listen to her fellow SHIELD agents but became distracted as Erik began to shift from his position. "Dr. Selvig?" She shouted running to his side praying Loki's control had been taken away.

"B-Bell?" Selvig looked up into the young woman's teary grey eyes questionably. "Wha?" He looked around the balcony overtop of the city with a surprised and confused face. How he ended from the SHIELD base to here was probably a hard connection.

"It's okay Selvig, I'm-" She began to comfort him when a blast and a figure falling to her side interrupted her statement. Bella gasped as she focused on the lavished dressed God from before. "Loki…" She glared standing from Erik's side.

"Bella, no!" He held onto her boot trying to pull her back, but his grip had not been strong enough and Bella simply kicked his hand away.

"Ohhh…" Loki smiled as he stood from his dazed position. The twist in his crooked smile warned Bella he had been devising a scheme for the woman. "The spy from the base." He titled his head watching the woman carefully as she took a hold of her gun.

Trying to catch him off guard, Bella lunged forwards but Loki had obviously had previous experience fighting as he blocked and fought her gun out from her weary hands. Before long, the God had pulled her from behind into a strong-hold hug thus stopping her from attacking. "Such a temper." He snickered burying his face into the nozzle of her neck. "I do like feisty women but alas, you are still a mere mortal."

Without another warning, Loki threw Bella through the already shattered window and into the wood frame of Tony's bar inside of his luxurious tower.

Loki strode over to the woman's body gracefully admitting with his posture his authority over her form."You have done everything I asked. Thank you, Agent Marcone." He bent at his knees noticing the grimacing look in her face.

A trickle of blood couldn't stop its way as she gasped from the lack of oxygen from her stunned body. "G-Go, ta hell!" She replied through her teeth making his smile grow even more. "You killed my friends…you've killed civilians…" She tried to pull herself off of the ground but her arms and legs would barely move let alone hull their way out from their stuck positions. "And the best part is, you're going to lose…" Using what left of her might she raised her fist expecting it to slam into his face when instead he simply disappeared.

"Wha?" She gasped looking around for the villain. Instead a jolt of pain forced her back into an arch as compensation to the pain swarming around her wounded thigh once again. She cried even harder as her chest hit and rolled in the middle of the floor. Her pain seemed to burn throughout the blood swarming in her body.

Loki walked around his prey, "It will be interesting, to say the least, how they mourn after they watch your body soaring from off this building."

_"I have to stop the portal..."_Bella thought as her eyes blurred and momentum give way as her body tried its best to comply with her thoughts to stand. _"Liz…"_ It was then that the tears finally rolled from her grey eyes to her cheeks as she imagined Elizabeth greeting her as her soul left her body.

"You do not stand a chance."

With Loki's words, Bella huffed giving her body a final push to fight against the God before he spilled her blood all on Tony's polished marble floor. She ran towards the outside deck ignoring the warning signs of her body trying to shut the operation down.

"Too slow." Loki appeared in front of her holding his scepter across his form.

"No!" She ducked down avoiding the swing retaliating by kicking her leg out as a way to capsize his knee. He was too fast, maneuvering himself properly and then jabbed his weapon at the woman hitting his target.

She couldn't hear the piercing screams that rang from her mouth. Nor could she focus on the surroundings of the room as the unbearable pain stung her chest. The feeling of having her flesh literally push aside the sharp edge of the scepter was something she never would wish upon another person. Well, besides the person that had just done it to her.

As the scepter forced its way where her arm connected into the part of her chest forced Bella to fall backwards once again to the marble floor.

"So weak, even more than the others." Loki grunted only wanting to enjoy the evil destruction he had placed upon the planet Earth now that the woman was no longer in his way.

Bella closed her eyes, unwillingly forcing her chest to take in as much oxygen as her lungs would allow. Meanwhile, the worried replies of Steve, Tony, Clint and Natasha seemed to yell all at once.

"Bella! What's going on?"

"Sweet cakes, what happened?"

"Marcone? What's your position? Do you need help?"

"Isabella!"

She couldn't reply…she couldn't talk even if she wanted to… she attempted to set her mind aside- remembering her SHIELD training… the voices speaking through the headsets seemed to be comforting and distracting at the same time.

"We need to get to Selvig! Widow can you head that way?"

"What about Bells?"

"I'm not sure…"

"I'll go. It's my building anyways."

"No. Wait!"

"What is it, Hawkeye?"

"I see the Hulk leaping on the side!"

Sure enough, Bella felt the ground underneath her back vibrate slightly. For the first time in five days, Bella smiled truthfully. Loki was about to seriously get the ass-whooping he deserved. The sound of shattering glass and a roar indicated the Hulk had entered the room.

"Enough!" Loki screamed to the intruder. "You are beneath me!" He seemed breathless- probably frightened by the power of the 'beast' he often referred to. "I am a GOD, you green ugly creature! And I will not be bullied by-"

Bella smiled though the blood running from her lips. She only cursed herself that the muscles in her neck wouldn't allow her to turn her head and watch the Hulk pummel the villain she and the others so badly wanted to give him.

The ground stopped jumping from underneath her body and she heard a grunt. "Puny God."

Closing her eyes while smiling triumphantly, Bella hadn't felt nervous as the pulsating feeling footsteps continued to shake the ground until they seemed to topple overtop of her body.

"B-Ba…"

A warm breeze blew the stray strands of hair tickling her face. A strong and yet gentle grasp cupped her back from off the floor while her neck and feet flopped with the pull of gravity.

"Baa-Bell…" The breeze huffed again on her exposed neck irritating the wound bleeding from her torso. "Bell-la…"

"I'm…I'm okay…" She breathlessly responded opening her eyes only seeing a burry figure of green. A shaky hand slid up his giant arm that caressed her back as the burry figure began to clear, changing and taking shape of a curious looking Hulk.

"I'm g-glad…you came, b-back." She forced out a laugh while a lone tear fell from her eye. Whether it was a tear from sadness or pain, Bella wasn't quite sure. "Go…they need you." She nodded trying to compose her stature hoping her distressed state wouldn't upset him any further.

Watching Hulk carefully, Bella took note of his constant heavy breathing, her breath now seeming to mimic his. Nodding slowly, he seemed to have a mix emotion as he walked and placed her carefully on the only couch in the room.

A giant green finger barely touched the cheek with the lonely tear slowly rolling down it. Picking his finger back up to understand the nature of the single droplet of water the brute grunted, "Stay alive." The beast let her go his voice hinting towards Bruce's nature and then leaped out of the window shattering a glass window behind him.

Bella watched the Hulk float to the building on the other side of the road denting the spot. He was graceful as he flew through the sky; not as charming as a ballerina or an ice skater, but he had a sort of beauty to the way he seemed to float about. Even though Bruce called himself a monster, Hulk was probably the best piece of the puzzle of the Avenger's team.

Suddenly remembering the mission, Bella attempted to sit up from her spot only to have a sore reminder of the injury she had just received. The slash in her chest was very tender and she had to at least attempt to clot the blood. "Sorry Tony…" She smirked picking up a beige throw pillow and pushing it against her chest.

"Selvig! Professor!" Carefully, Bella called out through the loud noises taking her steps at a slow and steady pace outside towards Erik.

He looked very intent on his Tesseract Portal machine but instead she heard a whimper watching cautiously as he wiped his eyes muttering to himself. "What have I done? What have I _Done?_"

The wounded agent faked a smile as Slevig looked up at her. "Bella! Isabella!" He sat up looking to the amber haired female. "What happened to you? Did I? Did I-?"

She hugged him tightly with one arm while still holding onto the bloody pillow. "No, you didn't harm me at all." She closed her eyes pushing aside the tears from her eyes down her dirty cheeks. "But-" She pulled back kneeling to his level. "We have to stop the portal. Do you know-"

"Loki's scepter."

"Doctor?" Bella looked curiously towards the older gentlemen.

"The energy, the Tesseract can't fight it. It can't protect against itself."

Bella tilted her head taking in the man's words. "It's okay…you didn't know what you were doing." She offered a few words of advice to her friend.

"Well actually I think I did." He gasped showing off his cunning smile. "I built in a safety to cut the power-source." She smiled back, "And how do we do that?" She yelled as the wind seemed to blow even more violently than before.

"Loki's scepter is the key." Erik turned to look on the second story of the deck. "And I'm looking right at it."

Taking a step forward, Bella attempted to head towards the scepter below when a hand pushed back on her right shoulder. "No, Bella, you're hurt. I can't let you put yourself in any more danger…" Selvig looked concerned staring into Bella's face.

She could tell he was being serious and if it hadn't been for the black clouding around the edges of her eyesight, she would have fought nobly against his wish.

"Hey!" A voice called to the two turning them around. "Missed me?" Black Widow smiled brushing back her luxurious red curls. Only Natasha could pull of the sexy bad-girl with head-to-toe bruising and dirt all over. "Isabella…" Her confident tone faded frantically walking over to face the SHIELD Agent. "What the hell happened-"

"Loki." She responded now breathing heavily feeling the ill-effects of her injury. "Listen. Go down below and get Loki's scepter. Selvig said he installed a way to stop the portal, with the scepter."

Widow nodded and without another word flipped down below retrieving the scepter in her hands. Quickly she ran back up ready with the gold stick in her hands. "I can close it!" She spoke through the headset, Bella heard her voice twice as loud.

No response.

"Can anybody copy? I can shut the portal down!" She asked again walking with the doctor to the portal while Bella stayed in her spot looking up through the portal's view. The stars in the space were beautiful if it wasn't for the aliens swarming through she would have asked to allow the portal to be left open for a few more minutes.

"Do it!" Steve yelled back.

"No wait!" Tony' voice rang through Bella's ear.

"Stark!" Steve sounded aggravated. "These things are still coming!"

"I got a nuke coming in. It's gonna blow in less than a minute."

"What!" Bella cried out not believing his words. Surely everyone knew Stark joked quite a bit, she only hoped this was one of those times.

"Yup. Fury just told me. And I know just where to put it. Close the portal after I go through."

Her jaw dropped as Widow responded to his request. If she closed the portal, Tony couldn't come back…why would he sacrifice himself? Where was Tony Stark and who replaced him with this self-righteous person?

"Stark." Steve's voice was grim. He and the rest of the Avengers hooked through the system knew the severity of the situation. "You know that's a one way trip."

Using all her strength, Bella looked to the sky through the portal once again. The clouding around her vision was starting to make her dizzy from standing. But she ignored it and instead watched as the Iron Man flew into the other world above.

If Stark could make it back in time, he would be more than a hero. If not…He would forever be a chapter in the history books.

They waited. They all weighted in silence not knowing if the Iron Man could indeed make it back before it was too late or dire for the planet. A pounding thumping seemed to fill Bella's head. It was the sound of her heart beating in her chest.

Since her mother had passed, Bella never cared too much for Tony Stark or his multi-billion dollar company. However, after fighting alongside of him and the others, she felt a strong bond towards her companions. Neither she nor any of the others wanted him, or anyone else on the team to die.

At the last and most dire moment, Tony had proved Steve wrong:

_"The only thing you really fight for is yourself. You're not the guy to make the sacrifice play; to lay down on the wire and let the other guy crawl over you-"_

"Come on, Stark…" Natasha whispered.

The portal was getting too dangerous. From her position next to the portal, Bella could feel the heat from the explosion of the alien spaceship above.

"Close it…" Steve sighed making Bella and Natasha frown even more.

With a heavy heart, the red-head pushed the rest of the golden stick within the center of the portal. A bright and minor blast came from the destruction of the portal above, permanently sealing the two worlds from each other once more. Back to the way life on Earth should be.

Except Stark had been left behind… lost in space, basically dead…Bella gave into the tears as they fell down her face mimicking small waterfalls.

"Wait a minute!" Erik cried out making Bella open her teary grey eyes.

"Stark!" She cried walking along the edge. "He made it!" She smiled and then her smiled faded into confusion. He wasn't stopping…if he kept falling at that rate…

"He's not stopping!" Natasha spoke through the headsets watching hopelessly along with the others.

"Tony!" Bella cried hoping her annoying voice could wake him up and cause him to save his own metal skin.

Instead, a green blur caught Iron Man sliding down a building until the two stopped on the streets below. "Oh thank god…" Bella muttered throwing her headset from out of her ear.

The war was over. Loki had lost and best of all, no one in the team had died. She felt her chest giving into the thrusting shakes she was trying to so desperately avoid after she had been stabbed. But now she couldn't help but allow her chest and shoulders to hunch and buckle while trying to retrieve as much oxygen into her deprived lungs as she possibly could.

"Bella…" Erik's voice mussed her into his arms as he led her back into the damaged room of Stark's. He and Natasha sat by her side trying to calm her down on the blood-stained couch.

"Roger that, come on up…" Natasha held her hand to her ear smirking slightly. "They are all okay." She patted Bella's back removing the soaked pillow in Bella's hand with the companion pillow. "They are coming up to take Loki in…" She nodded knowing Bella wouldn't want the others to see her poor condition.

"T-T-Tha-nks…" she stuttered her jaw shaking just as much as her chest was. As much as she would have like to say the pain in her chest and leg weren't that bad…they were. It was the worse feeling in the world. She only imagined this is what Phil and Liz felt before they took their final breaths.

And that's when she lost it.

"Bella?" Erik patted her back once again pushing her into his arms, rocking her slightly. "What's wrong? Don't worry, the Avengers will be here in-"

"No." She sniffed using her right arm to wipe away her tears. "It's not that…" She smiled while frowning- if that was even possible to do- while looking at her friend. "It's not that…"

Just then the ground shook making the two look towards the noise. All of the men were there. Tony Stark, Steve Rogers, Clint Barton, Thor, Hulk and now joining them, Natasha. The Avengers, Earth's mightiest heroes all working and fighting as one.

_"This was for you big man…" _Bella smiled even though blood seeped from her lips. _"Please…I only hope I'm not about to join you, Coulson, you weird, loveable, bastard, you…"_

She and Erik watched silently as the six superheroes took a defensive stance, Barton ready with his arrow, towards Loki as he stirred from his position Hulk had left him in.

"Wha-?" He looked up gasping at the people before him. He, and everyone else in the room, knew he'd lost. "Well, if it's all the same to you…" He looked to Tony, who Bella noted hadn't been wearing his mask, "-I think I'll take that drink now."

"Loki." Thor boomed twirling his hammer. "You're reign of terror is over, brother."

"Nighty-night." Clint smirked and then shot his dart arrow, stunning the villain while the others took a grip on reality.

"I'm serious about this day off." Bella's vision was black at this point, she could only hear Tony's voice making her smile, "Nick better allow us one-or rather- several days off. I mean we only saved the world!"

"For once," Rogers' voice sounded next, "I agree with you."

"Doctor Banner… It's good to have you back." Natasha's voice was next possibly indicating the Hulk had seeped back into Bruce's mind now that the trouble was gone.

"Uh…thanks…"

Bella felt her body convulse, as if her heart was trying to jump from right out of the hole in her chest. _"This can't be…good." _She tried to stop the pain but instead began to lose control of her motor functions…she was shutting down…

"Bella?" she felt Erik shake her as the grip on the pillow fell from her hands. Her arms flopping carelessly as Selvig held her tighter. "Isabella!" His voice demanding a response.

_"I'm okay…" _She thought knowing her voice wouldn't allow the sound to come out. Her involuntary shaking only increased also increasing Erik's hold on her. "ISABELLA! _Guys!_ HELP!"

By this point she could only hear the faint shuffling of what she assumed to be the others. But she couldn't be positive. She felt one hand prying open her eye lids, yet, she couldn't see. She felt another hand touching and pushing their fingers into the hole in her chest. And then felt her body being pulled into the air.

She opened her eyes, despite not being able to see and smiled at the person carrying her- whoever it was.

"A-A-…" She began to say only hearing vague shouts, "a-ven-ged…" she smiled after thinking of Coulson and all her other fallen comrades…

… and then felt her body falling…

…declining into a pool of emptiness…


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey everyone...I am SOOOOOO sorry for leaving you with that huge cliffhanger for so long. My plan was to upload my chapter the next day, but I got a call for a family emergency and I had to go back home. Luckily, while I was driving for four hours, I decided to revamp my chapter and thus this has ensued! **

**So the next couple of chapters will be from the Avengers' point of views. Please take note, I do not normally write in first person and if I made a mistake, PLEASE tell me! I wanted to give myself a challenge and this was a perfect way! **

**Anyways, these next few chapters will be from their POV's and will go through the current condition of Bella and the situation happening around them. I hope you enjoy, this hasn't been done for any stories that I have read, so hopefully it will be something fresh and new for you readers!**

**And THANK YOU for adding, favoriting and putting this story in a community! I feel honored at the total of my numbers! You guys are great and I love and appreciate everyone of you all! (Even the ones that _haven't_ reviewed!) *hint hint* REVIEW!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

**Tony Stark**

"Isabella, _ Guys!_ HELP!" I heard a demanding and frightened voice from the side of the now destroyed living room. Oh, how much did I love this room before…now the only thing to do with it from this point was make it twice as better as it had been before.

But now wasn't the time to focus on the interior design. As I looked up from Loki's position I noticed Bella lifelessly lying in Selvig's arms. Running as fast I could with none other than the good old Cap by my side, I noticed one of Pepper's decorative throw pillows had been completely soaked with blood on one side. Oh how disappointed Mrs. Potts would be to see her stupid pointless pillows now decorated in Bella's blood.

Natasha had pried open her eyes hoping she was still conscious. Bella unresponsively stared at nothing for a moment and then the grey pupils rolled back in her head.

"What's wrong with her-?" I began to say and then saw the gushing cut in her chest. It was above her heart, luckily, but it was still a critical cut to say the least. Testing to see if there had been any debris, I cautiously pushed an iron finger into the hole. But nonetheless it was a sliced clean cut.

"We have to take her to the hospital." Steve insisted.

"No time," Barton replied shaking his head commanding my attention. "Stark, is there any type of medical room we could take her in? If we don't stop the bleeding she will bleed out. Just look at her face, she's lost way too much blood." His tone was calm as if he had seen this type of situation many times before.

I tried to keep my thoughts calm, trying to rid of the annoying pounding of my heart-beat. Why it seemed to beat inside my head, I'll never understand. Pepper and the others that worked underneath me at Stark Industries always joked I had an iron heart just like my suit.

At this moment, I only wished my heart had been iron, just so that the annoying pulsating sound wouldn't distract me any longer. The look on her face made saving her almost seem hopeless…the face of death was nothing I really wanted to witness and I was sure as hell wasn't allowing this girl to end up like Coulson. I owed that much after taking away a part of it once before.

Those files…I closed my eyes remembering the words JARVIS had told me and just then it hit me.

"The sanatorium!" With one swift grab, I pulled Sweet Cakes into my iron arms locking her legs and neck into place away from Selvig's arms. At first, Erik looked upset that Bella had been taken away from him, but I couldn't stop to explain. The priority was getting her to safety. I _had _to save her life…

"Stark! Where are you-"

"I've got her! Just follow me, old man." I replied to Rogers flying carefully in the suit throughout the hallways of the building. Not that it mattered if any of the hallways had been destroyed. The whole building needed to be redone to make it by my standards.

"Which way are you going?" Steve's voice yelled through the head set…the Cap just couldn't let me handle this on my own…

"Three floors down, second door to the left!" I reluctantly replied now hovering and facing the said door. How in the hell was I going to open it…?

But my contemplating thoughts were interrupted from a soft and gentle mutter from my arms. "A-A…A-ven-ged…" Bella finished and then became heavy as if she was giving into all of the dead weight her body could have.

"Damn it! Stay with me, Sweet Cakes!" Panicking, I looked back at the plain white door and thought of the only sensible way to open it. Raising my hovering foot, I quickly kicked in the wood frame of the door. "I'll have someone fix that later…" I mused to no one laying Bella down on the medical cot in the room.

Pepper had insisted the new tower should be installed with a medical room in case of emergencies. Even though the need for such a useless thing would be insufficient in the new tower, I was thanking her slightly that she hid the room in the blueprints even after I signed the final contract.

Shuffling feet down the hall entered the room causing me to look over my shoulder.

"What do we do?" The blood in Rogers face had drained leaving him looking completely hopeless as he held Bella's cheeks in his gloved hands. "She's hardly breathing…"

"We have to stop the bleeding." Barton grabbed a towel and pressed hard on her chest forcing her back into the table. "She was trying to clot it earlier but not with enough pressure." He looked over to the nervous Captain offering a confident nod. "We have two options now, we can try to close it or we could attempt to cauterize it."

My body seemed to freeze only watching the rest of coloring in her face drain. By this point, Bella looked ready for the morgue. "What do you think is the better option?" My jaw clenched. The two procedures were both equally risky, I knew that much.

"From the point she's at, we need to cauterize it and find a way to put more blood into her." Clint nodded to Cap to hold the towel while he searched for the tools. Worried, Steve nodded and took his position swiftly applying just as much pressure that Barton had before.

"How exactly are we going to-" Steve began to ask.

"It's me." I answered shortly knowing the arc reactor flowing through my body and in my hand would be the best and most efficient way to burn her skin. "I have to…" I held my right fist in front of my face watching it carefully. Literally, and ironically I held her life in my hand.

"Stark," Steve glared. "You better be careful."

I frowned with a nod, "You think I won't? Hawk, you got the blood?" Luckily the infirmary had been stock piled with three bags of the common types of blood.

"I found 'em. But what type-"

"A+." I replied watching my hand open and close. There was only one shot, if I hit wrong she was dead.

Steve opened his mouth, "How do you-"

"I memorized all the files. Hurry, we have to do this now."

"You've got one shot and you better do it now." Clint looked at me with a frown. I know I was over thinking things but there was only _one_ shot…she would either die or live…

To think I had taken away a part of her life before…I owed this girl her life as compensation.

Taking a thick and horse gulp, I raised my hand in the air just as Rogers retreated the blood soaked towel. And then the blast from my hand threw my body back as the bright blast incinerated Bella's chest.

Reacting quickly as the light cleared, I watched from the corner of my eye as Clint pushed the supply of blood needle into the vein in her arm.

We couldn't speak in the moment only hearing the sound of steam emitting from off of the burning flesh of Bella's skin. The black leather suit she wore had been burned in a perfect circle from the blast above in the area Tony struck, luckily not exposing anything to risk-ay for the men.

I watched silently waiting for her chest to rise, for the color to flush back into her cheeks, for anything! But nothing. Isabella just lay hopelessly there.

"You did it right."

A voice in the doorway made all of us look at none other than Bruce Banner. He walked over to the others- hand clenched around the waistband of his torn and oversized pants- dipping his head to examine the wound closer since his glasses were not to be found. "We can only wait…she has five minutes."

We waited even more while Bruce began to examine Bella's chest. From the way he was acting, it didn't look hopeful.

_"I…I couldn't have…I…for once I tried to save the world and it worked. But that was too much. Apparently I couldn't save her…" _ I leaned my back into the wall causing the metal of the suit to clank loudly. _"If only they had noticed her injury sooner, it would have been safer just to stitch her up." _I cursed myself silently, _"Instead of thinking things over, I had given into the pressure and acted rationally._

"…I didn't…she…" The words seemed to escape from my head and into my lips causing Bruce to turn back to face me.

"No! There's a minor pulse."

It seemed to be too good to be true. "I… What?" from off of my tongue the words fell quickly causing me to snap my jaw shut before anything else embarrassing slipped from it.

"I'm not much of a medical doctor, but I can give it a shot."

"Barton, you stay here and help him. You seemed to know more about this than we did." Steve spat out pushing me away from the room.

"Oh and Stark." Bruce added looking up from Bella's body. "Could you bring me something else to wear?"

He looked rather brittle holding his pants up with his hand. "You got it, Jolly Green." I grinned giving Bruce a nod and laughing in my head at his new nickname. It was perfect.

Somehow, I realized that I had been walking side-by-side with Captain in silence. But that didn't bother me as much as how in the hell I was going to get out of this destroyed suit. Obviously I could get out of it easily if I went back upstairs to the living room area, but considering Loki and the others were up there, I figured it would be better if I didn't.

Fully grasping the anger boiling in my body, I realized it was without a doubt not a good idea to go back upstairs. I would probably see Loki and blast him without a second thought. Then again, knowing how much Thor cared about his crazy-ass brother, I might reconsider.

Suddenly, Rogers had walked ahead and stopped short causing me to bump into him accidentally. "What now, Cap-sickle-?" I sneered stopping to hear what sort of complaint he would have to say.

"What did you read in Bella's file? As far as I'm aware, there was no file I was given about her." I could hear a sort of snarl and care in his voice.

"Well, that because she likes me better than you." I pushed Captain's arm aside and continued to walk forwards.

"No, there's something different..." Steve held steady in his position looking back. "What did you read? You said on the Hellicarrier that you hacked into SHIELD's systems."

With a heavy sigh, I contemplated the results of the truth about Isabella. It wasn't his life to tell, but I figured a few details would get this old fellow off of my back for the moment. "If anything she deserves to live."

"Yes of course, but you're lying. Tell me."

"It's not mine to tell-" I replied and just before Steve spoke through his open mouth Tony finished. "I've already taking a part of her life away. I owe her that much to save her life." I grimaced knowing I had said too much, but maybe, just maybe, Rogers didn't hear that last part. I turned stomping down the hall taking to my mission to bring Banner some clothes.

"What. Did. You. Do, Stark?" Steve replied through gritting teeth, but I refused to talk anymore. I left Steve in the hallway while I made my way to the elevator down the hall.

"Sir, Director Fury is on his way to pick up Agent Romanoff and Agent Barton." JARVIS emotionlessly replied as the doors closed. I sighed knowing this was going to be an uncomfortable confrontation with the one eyed man… He would probably want to take back Bella and honestly I couldn't allow for her to be taken away so soon.

Fury had lied to her. He had lied to everyone…While Bella was recovering I decided that she would be under my care until the time that she could say so otherwise.

And then it came.

The verdict.

"Everyone," Barton's voice rang through the SHIELD headset system still miraculously working on my suit despite the fact I wasn't wearing the helmet. "Bella… she's-"


	11. Chapter 11

**Natasha Romanoff**

"Isabella, _ Guys!_ HELP!" I heard a weak voice from behind my back. Flipping my red curls from out of my face I looked back as Erik held Bella lifelessly in his arms. _"No… not again…" _ the thoughts of the hospital fire flashed in my head while I ran to the couch.

Prying open one of her eyes, I hoped she would still look me in the eye from being conscious. Instead, Bella unresponsively stared at nothing until her eyes wearily rolled back into her head.

"What's wrong with her-?" Stark gasped but my own eyes had been closed as my hold on Bella loosened. Bella couldn't be gone, I thought. She had fought alongside of us so well, there was no way she could leave us this way.

"We have to take her to the hospital." Steve insisted.

"No time," Barton replied commanding my attention. "Stark, is there any type of medical room we could take her in? If we don't stop the bleeding she will bleed out. Just look at her face, she's lost way too much blood." His tone was calm as always. Something I always admired from him. I could recall back in Budapest bleeding half to death as Barton healed me. He had seen these types of emergencies many times before in the past.

"The sanatorium!" Stark replied pulling Bella into his arms and flying away from the situation, as always.

"Stark! Where are you-" Steve began to yell out but I knew that Stark was already set on his mission. Once he had one, it was very hard to deteriorate his way around from it.

Clint looked to me as we stood frozen in our positions in front of Selvig on the couch. "I need to go." He placed a hand on my tender shoulder. I only nodded in response. "I know. Go…" The look in his eye was so welcoming, but Bella needed his strength. She needed his experience.

I felt so inadequate as I stood standing while Steve and Clint walked away. It would be too complicated and chaotic if I were to bring myself along with them. _"_B_esides,"_ I thought looking back at Thor with his tight hold on his brother, _"I'm still on the clock…"_

But wait, I thought looking to the hunched over man in the corner. Bruce could probably help if it wasn't for the Hulk trying to break through. Swiftly pushing pass the Gods I made my way over to Banner hoping to calm him down. Hopefully I could do a better job than Bella had done on the Hellicarrier.

"Doctor B-Banner?" I cringed at the sound of my voice. It was deep and shaky as if I had forgotten how to talk. But nonetheless, the sound startled the man causing him to sit upright looking up at me. "Doctor…I…" I was nervous as I tried to ask my question. How hard was it to ask if he could just go with the others and help their friend? "Bella…could, do you think?"

Apparently it was a lot harder than I thought.

Miraculously, Banner understood every unsaid word. "Where is she? I can help-"

"Which way are you going?" Steve's voice yelled through Natasha's head. The headset in my ear, it had still been on and the others were communicating on it as well.

"Three floors down, second door to the left!" Tony replied, _"Well speak of the devil…" _I smiled as Bruce stood from his position holding the waist band of his torn pants.

"Three floors down and the second door to the left." I copied the words Stark had spoken just moments before. "Doctor, do you think-" The words had slipped from my mouth and quickly I snapped it shut. But seeing the reaction in Bruce's eyes told me I had already said too much and he would want me to finish, "D-Do you think you can handle the stress environment? If some-thing… were to happen?"

I closed my eyes quickly to hide the tears clouding my vision. I couldn't help but think maybe Bella had already been lost. Maybe that was the real reason I stayed behind in the first place... It would be too much to bear seeing my friend die after their victorious battle.

The Doctor only shook his head to the floor, "If anything does happen, I-I need to know…" He looked up with the green tint in his eyes. "Actually… _'the other guy'_ is pressuring me to see her." He walked off as his bare feet slapped the marble floor.

"Don't worry-" Bruce turned around with a saddened grin, "If anything does happen, I'll be sure to get out of here as fast as the Hulk will take me. Promise."

I only nodded with a grimace noting the pressure building in the top of my skull. Maybe it was from the whole situation, but I had been blaming the pain from the gushing cut near my hairline._ "Well, at least it blends in…"_ I thought reluctantly for a moment looking to the side.

Thor sighed catching my attention, "I only wish I could be of more assistant to Lady Bella's survival. But I no not of saving mortal life. She had been very victorious throughout our battle."

Selvig took the opportunity to speak up walking over to the God. "If I know Isabella like I think I do, she is one tough cookie." Erik smiled hugging the blonde. "It's great to see you again, Thor."

"As you, old friend!"

"Agent Romanoff?" A voice rang through my head causing me to place a hand over my ear. This wasn't any of the Avenger's voices though…this voice came from Commander Fury, "Do you have Loki contained?"

"Y-Yes." I shuddered glancing over quickly to ensure Loki had been restricted. "What are your orders, sir?"

"We are sending a jet to Stark Tower, have Loki ready for transport as well as Dr. Selvig, you, Agent Barton, Agent Marcone and anyone else that wishes to come back to the Hellicarrier."

I only cringed when he said Bella's name thinking of the best way to explain her situation. "Yes sir…Um, Bella…she-she may or may not be joining us."

There was a pause in the headset until the Commander sighed, "How bad is she? The jet hasn't left yet, we can send medical personal over as well."

"Stark and Barton are already taking care of her at the moment, and Banner is about to join them." I could hear Nick huff again at Bruce's name. "Bruce has given me his word he will leave the city if the situation is unfavorable."

"You better be sure of that." He replied with a stern tone in his voice but not as a yell. More like, a concern. After all, Hulk had destroyed the city once before Loki's invasion and the area of Harlem was still trying to get back on its feet after the attack.

"Yes. Sir." I removed my hand looking back over at the two men staring at me. They looked scared and confused, probably mimicking my own face as well. "A jet is coming. We have to take Loki away."

Thor snorted shaking his head. "Loki may not be a prisoner on Earth. My father will wish to speak to my brother… only on Asguard will he receive the proper punishment."

"That may be true," I nodded, "But we still need to hold him captive until you can find a way to get back to Asguard." Giving him a gentle look, I continued, "I'm sure Dr. Selvig will help."

"Of course." Erik nodded rapidly looking up to assure Thor.

"Very well."

"Everyone," Barton's voice rang through my head causing me to widen my eyes. "Bella… she's-"

I listened to his words, carefully, making sure not to misinterpret any of his terms. The verdict was too much to take in as I allowed myself to fall to my knees.

"Natasha." Thor's voice was concerning and soon he eventually made his way by my side. "What is-"

"It's Bella-"

* * *

**Whomp whomp... Tasha is super hard to write. She's a bad ass and yet in the movie I felt her femin side come across so suddenly. Especially when Loki threatened her. I hope I did an okay job. Open to any criticism and suggestions!**

**-yesiamweird**


	12. Chapter 12

**Steve Rogers**

"Isabella, _ Guys!_ HELP!" I heard a man's voice from the other side of Stark's room. With a heavy heart, I stared as Dr. Selvig, the man who had opened the portal to the alien world, had Bella tightly held in his arms. Her body seemed almost lifeless as she rested in his arms. _"No…" _ I thought running alongside of Agent Barton to the couch.

Black Widow had opened one of her eyes attempting to receive some sort of consciousness from her eyes. Instead, they only rolled back into her head causing Natasha to let go in response.

"What's wrong with her-?" Stark gasped but my own eyes fell to her face. Even as death seemed to creep by her side, she still looked pretty. I had seen many men die in the war but this…even I was having trouble trying to remain calm while this _woman_ was dying right in front of me.

"We have to take her to the hospital." I insisted. After all, I had no medical background other than ban-aids and ointment. If we could get her there within a reasonable amount of time, she could be taken care of properly.

"No time," Barton replied ruining my thought. "Stark, is there any type of medical room we could take her in? If we don't stop the bleeding she will bleed out. Just look at her face, she's lost way too much blood." His tone was calm as if he had seen these types of emergencies many times before.

"The sanatorium!" Stark replied pulling Bella into his arms and flying away leading the team into his own wishes. I assumed at this point that it was going to be an ongoing battle between him and me.

Clint looked to the red haired woman "I need to go." He placed a hand on her shoulder as she nodded. "I know. Go…" They stared into each other's eyes and I watched silently. It reminded me of a dramatic black and white silent movie from my past. The longing look revealed the two had cared for each other outside of being partners in SHIELD. It was romantic, yes, but right now Bella was of the upmost concern.

Giving a stern nod to Barton, he and I stood running out of the room. Just before we had exited the area, I noticed Dr. Banner hunched over in the corner. _"Crap." _I thought now making a check list of plans if the Hulk took over Banner's body again.

"Stark! Which way are you going?" I yelled through the head set Bella had handed me merely hours before.

"Three floors down, second door to the left!" He replied and the two of us ran down the stairwell at the end of the hallway trying to follow Stark's orders. _"The guy lives in a freaking maze!"_ I decided sprinting and even skipping down some of the stairs. Clint attempted to keep up with me but superhuman strength seemed to deem well in drastic situations.

Finally entering the second door on the left, my gaze and uncontrollably my feet went to Bella. Carefully I cupped her cheeks as she lay lifelessly on the table. "What do we do?" I asked with a shaky voice. I didn't think I was that nervous, but my voice had clearly shown the anxiety I felt. "She's hardly breathing…"

"We have to stop the bleeding." Barton placed a towel on her wound. My eyes widened watching her chest being forced into the table. "She was trying to clot it earlier but not with enough pressure." He looked to assure me.

I only offered him a nod trying to push aside my fear and to be confident as I always pretended to be. Surviving all of the fights against Hydra in WWII was scary as hell. And somehow I managed to stay calm and fight all the way until the end…well until I had to sink Hydra's secret weapon.

Right now, looking down at my dying friend, I would give anything to be fighting Hydra and Nazi's instead of watching Bella's life on the line.

"We have two options now, we can try to close it or we could attempt to cauterize it."

"What do you think is the better option?" Stark looked just as nervous as I probably did. My jaw clenched preparing to witness the operation. Whichever one we chose.

"From the point she's at, we need to cauterize it and find a way to put more blood into her." Clint motioned for me to hold the towel and I quickly agreed pressing into her chest a bit harder than I would have thought. Maybe I still didn't know the power of my own strength yet.

"How exactly are we going to-" I started to ask realizing in order to cauterize an injury, you had to burn the area. I had seen some of my friends perform this task while we were on the move in Germany. It was painful to watch and to the person but it got the job done.

"It's me." Stark answered but the dazed look in his eyes made me feel worried. "I have to…" he held his fist in front of his face opening and closing it carefully.

"Stark," I glared. "You better be careful."

Tony only nodded, "You think I won't? Hawk, you got the blood?"

"I found 'em. But what type-"

"A+." Stark replied catching my interest.

"How do you-" I began to question but he cut me off before I could finish, "I memorized all the files. Hurry, we have to do this now."

Shutting my mouth quickly from his reply I heard a small pop from my teeth clashing together. As far as I could remember, there wasn't a file on Bella. So, how exactly did he _read_ her file?

Working quickly and improvising as best to ensure the woman's success of survival, Clint nodded holding the bag of blood in his hand. If he put the blood in right now, it would only pour out. "You've got one shot and you better do it now." Clint demanded for Tony to proceed but for once the Iron Man was hesitating. It was the first I had actually seen Tony look scared- truthfully and hopelessly afraid to hurt her.

But it was Bella's only chance. _"Come on Stark…" _I thought while we all stood there lost in our thoughts.

And then he raised his hand making me react by retreating the blood soaked towel just as the bright blast from his hand incinerated Bella's chest.

As the light cleared, Barton quickly pushed the supply of blood into the vein in her arm.

We couldn't speak in the moment only hearing the sound of steam emitting from off of the charred and red of Bella's skin. Her black leather suit had been burned in a perfect circle but thankfully, it hadn't revealed anything to us over than her upper chest.

I held my breath waiting for an answer. For a breath. A gasp…but nothing. Isabella just lay on the table just as hopelessly as she had before.

"You did it right."

A voice in the doorway made me look to someone I thought was out for the count. Dr. Bruce Banner. He walked over to the others with his nervous stance he had when I first met him on the top of SHIELD's Hellicarrier with his hand clenched around the waistband of his torn and oversized pants.

I made sure to move out of the way for the half-naked doctor while he examined the woman for any possible signs of breathing. "We can only wait," He sighed not making me feel any better, "She has five minutes."

Trying to conduct my own examination, I placed my hand on her cheek once more praying the red from my gloves would seep into her face.

Bruce smiled releasing his two fingers from her neck. "Wait. There's a minor pulse."

"I… What?" Tony began to say but quickly closed his mouth.

"I'm not much of a medical doctor, but I can give her the right medicine to fight off infections and to clean her injuries."

I nodded realizing Bruce was trying to kick us out, "Barton, you stay here and help him. You seemed to know more about this than we did." I pulled Stark's arm from out of the room.

"Oh and Stark." Bruce added looking up from Bella's body. "Could you bring me something else to wear?"

"You got it, Jolly Green."

Tony and I had been walking side-by-side down the hallway in silence, although the thoughts rampaging in my head were nothing of silence.

I had been thinking of Bella and how brave and strong she had been during their battle. In all honesty, Bella reminded me of Peggy in so many ways. The memory of Peggy, angry at me, when she shot at my shield to test if it was appropriate for the job…that same fire had burned in Bella's eyes as well. I had almost become distracted watching her shoot and fight the aliens alongside of me just minutes ago because of the similarities.

But the one thought that bugged me the most was Bella's unknown file that Stark had read. Wanting more answers about the situation, I took a few extra strides and stopped short causing Stark to carelessly bump into me.

"What now, Cap-sickle-?" He snarled.

"What did you read in Bella's file?" I sneered trying to intimidate the man to give me answers. "As far as I'm aware, there was no file I was given about her." A sort of snarl came from my voice, unintentionally of course...

Tony only rolled his eyes. "Well, that because she likes me better than you." He pushed my arm to the side continuing to walk forwards.

"No, there's something different..." I held my ground proving I was stubborn to receive my answer. "What did you read? You said on the Hellicarrier that you hacked into SHIELD's systems."

With a heavy sigh, Tony looked down at his feet and then back to me. "If anything she deserves to live."

"Yes of course, but you're lying. Tell me."

"It's not mine to tell-" He replied quickly, "I've already taking a part of her life away. I owe her that much to save her life."

What in the hell did that mean?

What part of her life had he taken away?

And how bad was it that the infamous Tony Stark had to owe her?

"What. Did. You. Do, Stark?" I growled through my teeth, but Tony continued to walk down the hallway- his metal suit clanking with every step he took.

I stood there in the silence and then looked back to the broken doorway of the medical room. Closing my eyes I shook my head telling myself calmly to just go back upstairs. If Bella was really lost, I couldn't be there to see it happen.

I might have superhuman strength physically. But mentally, I was still that scrawny kid from Brooklyn. Pushing aside the doors to the stairs, I climbed them with only the slapping of my feet echoing in my head. This feeling of hopelessness…it was awful.

And then I lost it. Resting my back into the wall, I paused for a moment resting my hands on my knees. The tears slowly fell from my cheeks and onto the floor. _"Peggy…is this what it was like for you? To hear me on the radio, trying to tell me everything was alright? And inside know it won't be…this feeling…it's awful…" _

I sat up, still with my back on the wall, wiping the wet drops from my dirty face. _"I still owe you that dance…maybe…" _ I looked up at the white ceiling saying a prayer to the woman I loved more than life itself, _"Maybe, if you'll allow it, Bella could be the one to dance with me…please…just…"_

"Everyone," Barton's voice rang through my head causing my depressing thoughts to end without a moment's notice. "Bella… she's-"

The verdict had my chest swarming with emotions. Giving into my buckling knees, I slid down the wall…and cried.

* * *

**Okay, to not drive all of you INSANE, the 'verdict' will be revealed in the next chapter! I really love Steve's thoughts. I had watched the Captain America movie to really get a feel for him so I hope it came across in this chapter. (Well I feel better about this one than the other two. ugh) Reviews have been awesome guys! You all push me so hard to keep writing! Love you all!**

**-yesiamweird**

**(BTW Tommy Lee Jones stole parts of that movie and Steve is such a freaking sweetheart! If there was a like button I would say to push it if you agree)**


	13. Chapter 13

**Here it is guys! The VERDICT! Sorry it's been a while, but the 'family emergency' crisis is over so no more me going out of town on the weekends. Yay! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

**Bruce Banner**

"Isabella, _ Guys!_ HELP!"

I was trying my best to keep my overgrown pants around my waist when that voice distracted me from my task. _"Isabella?"_ I thought, trying to remember why Bella would need help in the first place.

Still crouched in a hunch in the center of the room, I turned my head towards the source of the voice and looked to see Erik Selvig holding a limp and bleeding Bella.

_"No…I didn't…I couldn't have…Bella." _I clutched my head in disbelief. How could the other guy do this…I thought he liked her. I thought he- And then a flash from the other guy's cloudy mind ran through mine.

Bella bleeding in the middle of Stark's floor after Hulk had beaten Loki. She smiled despite the apparent pain, to not let Hulk become too upset. Even as Bella had been in pain, she hadn't wanted Hulk or me to suffer from it.

_"Bell-la!…"_ I could hear Hulk's growl deepening in my throat.

"NO!" I whispered clutching my aching head. "We can't…I can't…" I tried to breathe remembering my meditation and yoga exercises to control the other guy's anger. "Please…"

"Doctor Banner?" Natasha's voice broke me out of my shaking position causing me to sit upright at her. "Doctor…I…" For the first time, I noticed anxiety and fear in her pretty little face. She was afraid…but why. "Bella…could, do you think?"

I smiled understanding the nerves emitting off of Natasha. Isabella was her friend. Isabella was _my _friend. I closed my eyes with a disbelieving smile.

_"Please, oth- Hulk…" _I yelled in the shadowy part of my brain that I so often tried to avoid. _"We have to help Isabella…"_

_"Bell-la, hurt! Puny God, hurt Bella!"_

_"Yes…he did…" _I tried to stay calm; my breath increasing as Hulk figuratively swung his hands down in the walls of my brain. _"We can save her though…please. You and I are the only shot Bella has to live. But…" _I looked into the green snarling face within my own mind. _"I can't save her if you take me away…You have to help me, Hulk, to be strong. Because, after all, I am not as strong as you."_

Hulk smiled, _"Banner not strong like Hulk…"_

I nodded with a hesitant laugh. I hated it when he made fun of my strength. No one was as strong as Hulk was, so why did I have to be the center of the abuse. But instead I swallowed my pride and looked back into the green face.

_"No, I'm not. That's why you have to be strong for me. Please? We can save her, you and I. Just let me take control for the moment and we'll bring her back."_

_"Bella be okay?"_

_"She will be. Promise."_

I opened my eyes looking back to Natasha's red hair. "Where is she? I can help-"

"Three floors down and the second door to the left." She replied almost robotically. "Doctor, do you think-" Natasha began to say but then she snapped her jaw shut as my head perked up at her. "D-Do you think you can handle the stress environment? If some-thing… were to happen?"

I closed my eyes quickly dipping my head to the floor, "If anything does happen, I-I need to know…"

_"Hulk need know!" _The other guy started to pound in my head reminding me of his presence in my life.

I looked up holding my pants even tighter correcting my statement, "Actually… _'the other guy'_ is pressuring me to see her." Standing to my shaky feet, I started to walk down the hallway silently. "Don't worry-" I turned around to face Natasha, "If anything does happen, I'll be sure to get out of here as fast as the Hulk will take me. Promise."

Maneuvering myself strategically down the stairs to the said floor, I entered the hallway hearing a loud shooting noise that had been reminiscent of Tony's arc reactor blasters built for combat in his suit. I paced my steps faster entering through the door. The picture in front of me seemed as if life had gone into slow motion.

The only thing that made a sound had been the steam burning from the flesh of Bella's chest. Her black leather suit had been burned in a perfect circle with the cut Loki had given her now cauterized from bleeding.

I waited a few more seconds hoping she would show some sort of indication of life but instead I watched her continue to do nothing making me and the other guy grow even more anxious. I looked into the faces of the three gentlemen surrounding her. They looked just as pale and white as she had.

Wanting to give them some sort of comfort before the end of Bella's life was concluded, I spoke up, "You did it right."

All three heads looked simultaneously towards me standing lone in the doorway. Their faces still ghostly.

Holding onto the waistband of my pants even tighter, I pushed Steve to the side walking graciously over to Bella resting on the medical cot.

Not wanting my pants to be a distraction any longer, I quickly knotted and tied the large waistband and then dipped my head down to examine Bella's wound. Even though my glasses weren't available at the moment I could clearly see from her figure the bitter truth. "We can only wait…she has five minutes." I frowned.

_"Bella dead!"_ The other guy began to rampage inside my head causing me to panic. _"I kill-"_

_"No! We have to remain focus, Hulk."_ I calmed the beast down from banging around inside the walls of my brain. _"She still has a chance. Give me five minutes!" _Hulk nodded allowing me to continue my examination. With a heavy heart, I placed two fingers to her neck and then with my other hand to her wrist.

"…I didn't…she…" Tony had muttered behind my back.

Obviously if saving the world or the city wasn't enough, Stark had been set on saving the life of this woman as well. To fail was almost like failing the whole mission from the beginning. Bella was a part of the team, even if she wasn't a part of it in the first place. They all cared about her safety, I believed as well-

In the middle of my ranting thoughts, I felt the happiest and probably the most welcoming pulse from underneath my fingers placed around her wrists. "No! There's a minor pulse!" It seemed to be too good to be true but it was.

"I… What?" Tony leaned into my general area with a concerned look. I offered him a gentle smile, "I'm not much of a medical doctor, but I can give it a shot." I thought about my time in Calcutta. _"Heal one person for the flu, one for food poisoning, another for a wound and they treat you like the world's best doctor." _

"Barton, you stay here and help him. You seemed to know more about this than we did." Steve rang out pulling Tony away from the room.

"Oh and Stark." I looked over my shoulder to the billionaire Iron Man in the hallway, "Could you bring me something else to wear?"

"You got it, Jolly Green." I grinned giving Stark a nod and then looking back to Isabella still lying motionless beneath me.

"Something's not right. You said there was a pulse, shouldn't she be breathing?" Barton had taken the words right out of my head and into the air. Indeed, her pale cheeks were now starting to turn blue.

"There's something caught in her airway…" I traced her diaphragm for any sort of visible blockage when I found none. That concluded she was choking on her own spit, if anything. "CPR…that's the-"

"I'm not kissin' her!" Barton yelled almost too soon. Raising an eyebrow at the man I turned my head looking down at her struggling face. Even with death right beside her, Bella managed to still look just as pretty as when I first met her on the Hellicarrier in her everyday clothes.

Maybe it was the fact that she had made a comment about suiting up and that I had to go and mention my suit of amour did not apply to the normal superhero costuming that made her stand out to me. Or maybe it was her smile, the genuine interest in her eyes when she and he were in the lab before Loki and the others arrived. In so many ways she had the attitude of Betty Ross, my past- or rather ex-girlfriend. But there was something different about Bella, _Agent Marcone_…brushing the stray strands of her hair from out of her face I now knew what I had to do…

I had to save my friend.

_"Banner….Bella…" _Hulk growled forcing me to perform quickly. I nodded -the bobbing of my neck seemed to be in slow motion once again.

Inhaling a deep and strong breath, I leaned over her face pressing my lips to her and puffing out the oxygen from my lungs to hers. Raising my bare chest, I raised my hands quickly pumping her chest downwards being sure to avoid the seared portion of her upper torso.

After three forceful pumps, I realized how distressed I felt looking back into her face- her cheeks now bluer than ever. With one more attempt I reached over to plug her nose replacing my lips to hers.

With the biggest breath I could muscle out, I pumped life into her once, twice, three or even four times, I started to lose count.

With one last breath, a thick liquid spewed into my mouth forcing me to retreat my lips. Spewing the potent iron taste into my cupped hand, I realized the liquid had been a mixture of blood and spit, the very thing Isabella had been choking on. Wanting to rid my hand of the substance, I patted it on my ruined pants that skeptical security guard had given to me after I fell from the Hellicarrier.

"No way…" Barton whispered behind my back and I curiously looked to what he had been so shocked about. And I had the exact same reaction-

Weakly and instinctively, Bella had lifted her head just centimeters from off of the cot with her grey eyes fluttering at the bright light above and then rolling back into her head.

Her chest rising and falling, the flush in her face, the steady pulse in her wrist…Isabella was _alive_.

"Everyone." Barton raised one of his hands to his earpiece speaking to the others with its use. "Bella…she-she's gonna make it… Her levels are holding steady…"

"But we are just going to have her rest." I gave an answer with gently rubbing the back of her neck with my thumb. I hoped, by doing so I would at least give her sub-consciousness the reassurance of her friends.

"But the doc says she's gotta rest." Barton finished resting his back into the wall. "Ya did it big guy…" He smiled bringing me to look away from Bella's now healthy face.

"I didn't do anything…Stark-"

"You, gave us the reassurance she would be okay._ And, _there was no way in **_hell_** I was gonna kiss her…"

_"Crap…" _I thought looking back down now remembering the kiss of death I had given the woman…but without it…she would have died, "It wasn't a _kiss_, it was only a medical way to restore impulsive blood circulation and breathing-"

"Yea yea, just a geeky way of saying a kiss of life." Barton smiled raising his hands to cover both his ears. I assumed someone was communicating with him over the ear-com system. "Big guy." The SHIELD agent looked up with a smile, "Stark's called on some staff to convey Marcone to another location."

My hands held a protective grip onto her neck instantly fearing her out of my sight once again. _"Calm down other guy…they are going to help her…" _I closed my eyes hoping to talk some sense into Hulk's defense. My hands suddenly softened running my own thoughts through the blood in my veins.

"H-her leg…" my breath hitched looking down from her face, to the burning spot on her chest, to her hips and the various belts that fastened around it, and finally to the cut of her leather pants. Her thigh had been abused before so by this point I could only imagine that her wound was going to take a bit longer than she had expected to before. "Do you see any stitching?" I looked around the room noticing the multiple drawers and cabinets along the walls.

"Yea…" Barton turned his back reaching into a drawer. "I noticed this earlier when I was looking for the bag of blood-"

In that brief moment of Clint handing me the kit, I looked to the red bag curved in her waist. In order for it to really be effective, it would need to be held upwards allowing gravity to ease the blood into her body. But since there were more pressing matters than her bag of blood I declared it wasn't that dire in her situation at the moment.

"She's going to need three more stitches…" I muttered to myself threading the sterilized curved needle. "Should be quick." I bit my lip looking to Bella's chest. The reassuring rising of her chest made my held breath release now turning my attention to her leg.

Sooner than expected, a group of four female Stark employees entered the room with a smile, "We can take it from here. Thank you." A brunette smiled patting my shoulder.

"Just one-" I hissed feeling something sharp on my limb but not paying too much attention since I had been completely focused on finishing her leg while the pushy Stark employees tried to kick us out.

At last, I tied the final stitch from her leg wiping my sweaty forehead with the back of my hand. "Please, sir," A woman with pushed me to the side placing a pair of black pants and a black sweat shirt into my hand even with the needle still held in my finger tips.

She offered me a warm but fake smile "We need to move her." I gave into her feminine ways and walked out into the hallway before she or the other women could say a word more. The other three woman silently wheeled Bella down the hallway towards the elevator leaving me and Clint alone in the hall.

"Better put those on, Big Guy-" The archer patted my shoulder now heading towards the staircase, "Stark insists that we all are going to eat Shawarma."

I stood in the empty hallway half-naked still with the clothes and needle held tightly in my hand. I sighed, giving into the pressure bulging in my head by leaning my back against the wall. "Woah." I forgot for a second my back had been bare.

I guessed it was appropriate for me to dress in the empty medical room since there was no one inside of it now. I dropped the clothes onto the messy white countertop and then threw the used needle into the garbage.

Only Tony Stark would have a normal pair of regular black pants and a sweatshirt that feel like Egyptian cotton on my worn and sore skin. I shivered for a moment trying to adjust the Goosebumps of my epidermis from the warmth of the clothes when suddenly I felt a slight throbbing in my finger.

With one of my eyebrows cocked upwards, I raised my index finger to my face focusing on the pressure spot: a millimeter slice on the side with a thin drying layer of blood underneath it. "That's new…" I whispered examining it closely.

A thought flashed across my mind of giving Bella the stitches moments ago and feeling a small slice of pain as the women pushed me from my position.

Could I have cut my finger then? Or was it earlier, maybe as I picked myself off the floor after convincing the Hulk to not rampage again?

Then again, I always have a tendency to be overly observant. Thinking of the worst possible situation and jumping to conclusion before all the variables were presented in front of me. It was natural after running away from Ross and the government for so long.

Shaking my thoughts away, I brushed my finger on the pants and continued down the path Barton had walked down earlier. Whatever in the world Shawarma was, it was going to taste incredible in my gurgling and empty stomach.

* * *

**So the verdict is revealed! Bella is alive! I'm sorry for those of you that I had convinced she was dead. I guess I did a good job. If I butchered anything with any of the medical stuff, please please please tell me! I really don't want to sound like a _complete_ and _hopeless _moron!**

**But promise to not leave just yet! There WILL be more! :)**


	14. Chapter 14

_ "I can take you away from this…"_

Bella heard a shaky voice whispering in her ear. She looked around her surroundings only to see nothing, as if she had been walking in a dark tunnel, a path of emptiness.

_"Just follow the light, and I will rid of all the pain hurting you…"_

She looked around still not seeing anyone when suddenly from a distance a piercing light shined forcing her to retreat her tired eyes. "But I don't want to go away…!" She yelled back, her voice echoing loudly.

_"Fine then…wish granted."_

The light had faded after the voice finished but she found herself trapped in the surrounding darkness once again …The female raised her eyebrow confused as to where or why she was being trapped.

And then she felt as if a million and a half volts of electricity were trying to jump-start her heart, like a car battery. She once remembered in college her old station wagon had died on her in the parking lot. A very handsome young man helped her restart the P.O.S. avoiding a major catastrophe of her young adult life.

What had ever happened to that nice young man? –she wondered…he was probably married by now with a normal job and a house with a white picket fence…

Definitely not the life Bella had and questioned so much. Especially now. There were still so many questions she needed to be answered.

For starters, why had Phil known who and what her father looked like? She hadn't seen him in years and just before Coulson died he picked the time to bring her father up?

And then there were questions for Nick Fury she needed to consider as well as questions for Natasha and Clint. As tempting as that voice had been earlier, she realized that she needed to go back to the life she had before she was trapped. She needed to live…

_**"Only if you're strong enough…"**_

_"Don't worry…"_ Bella stirred feeling a pressure rampaging in the wall of her head. Her vision, clouded and foggy, seemed to take on the figure of a person staring back at her and even though she wasn't sure who it wasshe knew it was someone fighting for her to stay alive. Call it pure instinct.

_"I **am **strong enough."_

* * *

The six Avengers left Stark Tower in the middle of the broken and bruised city. The group was desperate for a hunger run to the middle-eastern restaurant that sold Shawarma sandwiches and wraps. After they individually ordered and Stark graciously paid, the group sat at the lone round table smack dab in the middle of the shop.

Not only were they the only ones in the broken and abandoned eatery, but they were the quietest out of the whole eight people there. The two employees had been whispering and softly bickering while trying to mend their broken shop while the six superheroes ate in silence.

Stark and Banner had been the only two out of the group that seemed to be enjoying, or rather touching their food. Even Thor- the almighty God- had barely nibbled at his wrap, taking small bites here and there.

Natasha and Steve had poked their meals from its original form without even taking a single bite, while Barton had picked apart the pieces of meat from the sandwich.

They were all tired. All sore and bruised. And most of all, spiritually broken. Their friend, their comrade, had almost been killed right alongside of their fight. They believed she was dead from the moment Selvig had asked for their help. After she was declared stable, the adrenaline rush had left their veins now leaving them in their current state of exhaustion.

With a sigh, Widow picked up her meal, balancing it in her small hands and took her first bite. The sweet and yet savory flavor now filling the aching sides of her growling stomach. Looking to her right, she smiled through her chews at Clint as he rubbed her aching shoulder. His leg perched on the side of her chair comfortably.

Taking a handful of his meal, Bruce shoved the food into his hungry belly munching on it as if his stomach would give out any second. When was the last time he had _good_ food? Instead he was used to forcing down some sort of makeshift nutrient enhanced meal that was better for the body than the taste.

Looking up from his hands, Bruce looked pass the fallen curls in his eyesight to the others. They looked just as tired and saddened as he felt inside. With a sigh, he fell into the back of his chair staring up at the wall across from him.

Tony Stark had enjoyed his meal, fully intent on returning to the small restaurant after their refurbishment. Taking a breather, the billionaire genius thought of his admit plan for the healing woman in his tower. He had insisted to the two SHIELD agents that Bella would be under his care until the time she could say so otherwise. If Fury was to take her captive, he promised that he would find a way to conclude to the public of SHILED and their kidnapping ways.

Agreeing with his reasoning, the others decided that they would back up the billionaire when the jet came in a few minutes. They planned on fighting for their precious fallen comrade until the end.

He thought with a smirk the way Thor had managed to contain his brother before they left. With the cuffs still fastened around Loki's wrists, Thor had placed his hammer over his chest forcing him to the ground. After all, Thor could be the only living thing that could remove the giant steel hammer from its stationary position. Even the Hulk had attempted to pick up the hammer on the Hellicarrier and he wasn't a match for the weapon.

Meanwhile, Erik Selvig had wanted to stay behind to take one final goodbye to his associate before he left for SHIELD once again. Steve had graciously given the doctor his earpiece intercom to inform the others if the SHIELD jet arrived before they had returned.

From the way Clint and Natasha proceeded to cup their ears, Tony assumed the time had come for them to leave. "Party's over guys…" Natasha stood up from her chair brushing the small crumbs from off of her leather suit, "The Jet is here."

With a nod, the men followed her exact routine of standing and brushing the debris from off of their clothes. The shop wasn't too far away from the Tower but they would have to hurry if they were going to stop the SHIELD personal from taking their fallen Avenger.

Remaining silent, the six superhero beings stood in the elevator of the Stark Tower as it accelerated towards the top floor where Loki had still been contained. As the steel doors pushed aside, Nick Fury and Maria Hill had been waiting in the destroyed living room while a group of SHIELD guards pointing their guns to the now conscious God. The Hammer still immobilizing his chest.

"Hungry?" Fury tilted his head to the right standing from his spot on the bloody couch with a frown as always. "Where's-"

"Bella," Stark took the lead from the doors pacing his steps towards the Commander, "Is under my care. Until she says she wants to return to you, I will be taking care of her."

"We agree." Natasha stood next to Stark's side with her arms folded across her chest.

"Agent Mar-"

"With the condition she is in, it would put more stress on her body if she was moved. It's better for her body to rest." Bruce spoke next walking to the other side of Stark, "If you do consider her a value to your organization, you'll listen to me and the other's when we say Stark has condition of her, especially while she is unconscious." He dug his hands into the pockets of his pants.

Nodding, Fury closed his one eye with a smile, "I agree…" he whispered now looking to the six surprised Avengers "I am only here to collect Loki, Selvig and my agents- if they wish to come."

"No, Loki is a prisoner of Asguard. Only he and the Tesseract will remain safe under the rule of my father. I guarantee it."

Fury only nodded, "So be it." Looking to his SHILELD operatives, he smirked almost slightly. "Will you all be joining us or will you accompany Dr. Selvig and Thor?" The red-head and Hawk only smirked.

"We'll stay… We can be official witnesses to the leave of the war criminal." Black Widow smiled with the stern look in her eyes. "Then- and only then- we will meet back with you, Commander."

Nick only smiled motioning for his cronies to follow. "See you soon."

* * *

**I just loved the clip after the credits of them all sitting in the Shawarma restaurant. Too funny! I know this was a s****hort chapter, but a quick update. I'm not going to write the leave of Thor and Loki in the park. We all have seen it and know what happens! **

**-yesiamweird**


	15. Chapter 15

**I can't believe just how many views I've gotten on this story! It just blows my mind! You guys are awesome, so I hope this chapter is just as awesome for you. It's a long chapter, only because I want to move on with their vacation. **

**ANDDDDD after much debate and thinking and writing, I've decided to give Bella a love interest... If I loose my wonderful people, I'm sorry. But the more I wrote, the more their romance made sense. Hope I won't lose too many people, but please leave a review of your opinion! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

A deep and low growl in Bella's throat alerted her body of its awakening state. Blinking away the crusty tears from the sides of her eyes, Isabella found herself in a plain white room; no doubt one of SHIELD's medical facilities.

What was really digging away at her aching brain was the question of how bad the damage to her body had been…What had happened?

A flash of Loki's eyes and a gold stick thrusting into her chest came to mind making her throw her head back into the soft pillow. She paused for a moment holding her body gently against the plush bed. It felt like she was on a cloud… the bed had conformed and shaped her heavy body without feeling like she was lying on a pile of springs.

_"Nice bed…" _She closed her eyes thinking silently to herself. She didn't even want to THINK about speaking now aware of the pain engulfing her body. Everything hurt, all the way through her muscles, to her bones and even the blood being pumped in her veins.

A loud and decreasing beeping sound brought the woman out of her thoughts as she tried her hardest to hold them back. Looking towards the sound, she adjusted her sight to focus on a heart monitor she now assumed had been hooked up to her.

"Let's just take a quick peak and make sure-"

A female's voice yelled from the other side of the doorway and then stepped into the room. She was a decent looking woman about average height with a tint of red in her blonde hair. "-S-She's okay…" The woman smiled closing the door gently behind her. "Hi."

Bella sighed taking a thick and very dry gulp, "H-Hi…ie…" she winced as the sound of her voice cracked in her ears.

Walking slowly towards the bed, the woman pushed up the sleeves of her perfectly ironed navy blue suit. It was fitted very well on her- Bella had to admit. "My name is Pepper. I work for Tony, Tony Stark…"

Pepper was an odd name- and Isabella was one used to being nicknamed. It never bothered her in the past. Hell, her own mother had about five different names for her, Iz, Izzy, Iza, Isabelle, Belley… it had been on very rare occasions when her mother called her Isabella.

"S-so…I-I'm not…" Bella began to speak attempting to sit herself up to catch a better view of the polite woman. However, a shooting pain in her left arm wouldn't allow it.

"Be careful!" Pepper ran to the side of the bed placing a soft hand on her shoulder and forehead, "You have been out for quite some time now…You really should-"

"Ah! Sweet cakes!"

Bella smiled hearing that oh-so-loveable tone of voice. "T-Ton-ney…" She chuckled hoarsely watching with her eyes only as he walked next to Pepper, his gaze never moving since he entered the room.

"Tony, I think we should let her rest she-"

"Rest? The girl's been out for about two whole days now, you think she'd be the next Capsicle for all the sleeping she's-"

"I've been out for two days?" Bella's voice was stern but the croakiness vibrating from off of her vocal cords made her seem fragile.

"Yes…" Pepper looked worried. "Don't worry, you can stay here as long as you like."

"Well not for too long. The jet is supposed to leave in two hours." Tony looked down at his wrist to a Silver Rolex strapped to it. "I did promise I would take you to Malibu."

Bella laughed sweetly. She had forgotten about his promise and at that time thought he had been joking. How could she forget that Iron Man was really a billionaire with a whole lot of extra cash lying around? "You really mean it?"

"Oh yea." He smirked placing a hand around Pepper's back. "Just imagine," He waved his free hand across his chest, "A picture perfect family vacation."

Bella squinted her nose not entirely thrilled by the company. "So, you, me and Ms. Pepper?" How could she even think to complain? She had been offered an all-expenses-paid-for vacation and she was going to be greedy? Her grandmother would have beaten the manners back into her skull.

"And Dr. Banner." Stark smiled while Pepper rolled her eyes walking away. "He's staying with Stark Industries for the time being and he's coming along too. But I already figured you wouldn't mind since he saved your life and all…" He turned his back and the headed for the door. "Be ready in an hour and a half, Sweet Cakes."

He turned around himself and closed the door now leaving Bella to sink back into the bed with the sound of the beeping heart monitor in the background. A vacation…that was something she surely needed after going through hell and back.

Raising her head slightly, Bella focused to her left trying to view the damage of her chest that seemed to burn with each breath. Her entire torso had been wrapped in a thin and breathable bandage while a budging gauze lie sturdy underneath on the precise location of her pain.

With a deep inhale and the stubborn thick head she received from her mother's personality, Bella attempted once again to lift her torso up in the air only to find her flopping messily back onto the bed once more.

"Damn…" She muttered rolling onto her side and using what left of her arm muscles that she could control to pick herself up to a sitting position- her feet dangling off the bed.

From the look of her body in the hospital-style nightgown, she looked like a complete train wreck- or rather had been hit by a train and miraculously survived the attack. Covered in bruises, aches and pains from head-to-toe, Bella took the opportunity to rest for a moment until she would feel strong enough to stand on her own two feet.

The door creaked open from behind her back causing Bella to twist and strain her neck to the intruder. She smiled at the twitchy shy man as he twiddled his glasses in his hands. "Hey there." Her voice still croaky and yet soft echoed through the strangely empty room.

"H-How are you feeling?" Bruce took another step forward leaving the door to be open slightly for some reason. "You should-"

"Just peachy." She nodded looking back down at her feet. Even the tops of her toes were bruised…maybe she _had_ been hit by a train and just couldn't remember. "How are you?" She looked up noticing him slowly making his way towards her, his hands now stuffed down the pockets in his dark blue jeans.

He nodded, "Just fine." With a smile tugging at the side of his lips, he continued, "You are really accident prone, huh?"

"Only when there's an egotistical God out to destroy me and the world." She chuckled as the doc stopped in front of her. Wiggling her toes, she sighed to the nagging voice in the back of her head repeatedly informing her of the numbness in her legs. At least now she discovered she wasn't paralyzed.

"Well, how _are_ you feeling?" Bruce ducked his head lower still with his hands shoved into his pockets. "You've been out for a while now, and if it's too much stress you shouldn't be forced onto a plane."

Bella yawned, as a polite gesture, covered her gaping mouth and then sighed afterwards. "No, I'm fine. Really. But-" She looked into his clean shaven face taken a bit back from his look. "B-But, I'd like to know how long I'm gonna be out…" After this vacation, she needed to go back to SHILELD and have a few words with Nick.

"Approximately seven to ten days… But you shouldn't try to do too much right away."

Nodding, Bella bit her lip nervously. "I have to go back…I have to…urgh." She flattened her forehead against her palm embarrassed from the unanswered questioned running a mile a minute in her head. The anxiety of the unknown bubbled in her lungs while her heart pounded against her ribs.

"I'm sorry…" She chuckled hesitantly running her hand through her hair. "How soon are we leaving again?"

* * *

After the luxurious jet landed onto the private area of the airport, the group ducked inside a shiny black stretch limo that had been sent to pick up Stark and his guests from off of the runway. Bella had to admit, being rich certainly had its perks but a life of adventure and modesty was one she prided herself in.

But for the meantime, why wouldn't she soak up the billionaire lifestyle. It was only going to be for a week…right? Keeping her thoughts to herself, Bella sank into the leather plush seats enjoying the warm feeling conforming to her aching body. Being bed ridden for so long could take its toll on a person. Let alone having a near death experience along with it.

With her arm held down in a sling, she rested her free hand on her chin while the elbow leaned against the arm rail of the wall of the vehicle. She had never been to California before and she didn't want to miss a moment of the view.

The car pulled off causing her to shift slightly in order to compensate her weak body from falling over. Why the heck did she offer to sit backwards? That was really a dumb decision.

Changing her focus from the window to the people among her in the vehicle confirmed her poor decision. There with a smug smirk underneath his perfectly shaven beard was Tony with a busy Pepper Pots by his side, frantically typing away on her portable virtual laptop. "Dr. Banner?" Tony looked to the side as the said man looked fearfully towards his host. "When do you think Miss Marcone could be put into a bathing suit?"

Not surprised by his statement and yet angered he would even ask such a thing, Bella kicked her flip-flop from off of her right foot towards Tony. Of course, he caught it.

"W- what?" Bruce gasped almost seeming to choke on his own words.

"Hey!" Tony held the red shoe in his hand and pointed a finger as if scolding her for bad behavior. "You heard me. We are in Malibu. In Malibu you wear binkini's and go swimming." Pepper had his attention giving her companion a pissed off eye glare. "So, when-"

"The stitches will heal in 7-10 days. The burn shouldn't get wet at all." Bruce nodded and then continued to look out the window. Bella hadn't missed the red growing on his cheeks as he finished.

"Well that's a bummer. At least you can still suntan. That's what's really-"

Bella kicked off the other shoe rolling her eyes. "You. Are. Unbelievable."

After a twenty minute ride of hearing Pepper and Tony bicker, Bella practically threw herself out of the limo as it parked in the driveway of the large one-story mansion. Standing up straight, Bella took in the scent of the salt flowing in the air. The ocean breeze tangling the loose strands of her medium length hair as she and a very kind and generous butler assisted her in walking up the staircase onto the porch.

The large wooden front doors were swung open by two more butlers as she and the others made their way inside the modern-style mansion.

"Well no place like home, huh?" Stark smirked throwing his hands outwards to bask in the glory of the open ballroom.

"I'll say…" Bella awed at the crystal chandelier and then looked towards a big wooden door on the side leading to the beach. Ignoring her host, Bella pushed out of the arms of her supporter walking towards the deck overlooking the beach area.

It was too perfect: crystal blue waters, a private white sandy beach, and a light warm breeze "This is…" She muttered to herself kicking off her flip flops and walking down the wooden stairs to the sand. "…Perfect" She practically melted as her feet sunk into the warm sand taking the pressure off of her throbbing arches.

"Ahem." A purposeful cough broke Bella's serene moment. Turning her head she raised an eye brow at Bruce offering her a stern look as a warning.

Bella waved her good arm at the doctor. "Okay, whatever…" She looked back to the ocean walking towards the shore line. She would listen to what he said…but she'd like to test him out. See if he would get angry for not having her listen.

The cool water melted the sand under her feet causing her to sink further into the ground. With a triumphant smile, Bella turned back to the porch to see Bruce's expression.

Except, he was no longer there…

"Darn," Bella giggled turning back to watch the ocean. "He's gone and ruined the fun."

* * *

Malibu had brought out a side of Isabella she thought was long gone after she had gone off to college. For once, she did absolutely nothing but relax and chill in the company of mostly Pepper Pots and her lonesome self.

Every once and a while, she would see Bruce walking around the mansion or grabbing a bite to eat, but he stayed contained in his own bedroom most of the time. Every so often when the two did meet, he would insist on giving her a check-up always with good news. The best was when he informed her of the fact she no longer needed to wear the arm sling. Bella practically hugged the life out of him when he told her so.

Tony, on the other hand, only seemed to make an appearance whenever she or Pepper where sunbathing in their bikini's that the personal shoppers Stark had bought for the women. Of course, from the good of Tony's iron heart, he only found it suitable for Bella to wear bandeau tops so that the fabric of the suit would not rub or damage her burn.

But today was different. Today the sun was not shining as bright as it had the past five days. There would be no sunbathing or gossiping of famous movie stars Pepper and Tony had encountered previously while sipping on fruity drinks by the poolside.

With the promise of 85% chance of rain surely came from the moment Bella woke from another night of sleepless slumber. She had been up since 5:36 this morning and found it near impossible to fall back asleep. But she was used to that. After being a SHIELD agent for quite some time, she had to adapt to staying awake after she woke.

The house had been quite as she made a cup of Chai Latte from her new favorite piece of equipment: the Keurig machine. She had sat down by the table while the rain pitter-patted on the windows outside when she had a thought. Finishing the rest of her cup and placing it in the sink, Bella walked out on the deck in the backyard simply sitting down on the couch covered by the rooftop overhead.

The moment was blissful. Probably the best she had felt since she arrived in Malibu. She hadn't known how long she watched the rain, or the erupting waves of the ocean below, but it had to be more than an hour or two.

With a much needed stretch, Bella raised her arms over her head arching her back and hearing a small pop as her spine adjusted itself. "That felt good…." She sunk into her own words with a sigh and then stood stretching her arms gently across her chest.

Despite the dreary weather, Bella found peace hearing the sounds of the rain and the sounds of the surrounding nature. With small steps, she made her way to the railing of the deck leaning her elbows on the smooth surface.

No thoughts filled her head. No rampaging anxiety clouding in her torso. No pounding in her chest or thigh. Standing there in the silence, she felt peace that she had never known before. She sat there motionless…for hours it seemed like…until the sliding glass behind her slid and shut causing her to quickly turn her neck to see the intruder.

"Oh, sorry…" Bruce gulped with a deer in the headlights look, "I just-just wanted to see the weather." He pointed a hand pass her looking around as if trying not to stare at her for too long.

Softening her stare, Bella's mouth grew into a small smile and she turned back to face the rain once again ignoring the man as if he hadn't interrupted.

"Not like you've seen much of the outside world…" Bella mused after a minute or two.

"W-wha?"

Bruce joined her side imitating her statue by leaning on his elbows as well.

"You don't get out much. Do you?" She turned to face him. "You've been cooped up inside since we got here. Why?"

Bruce chuckled hesitantly, dipping his head down while it bobbed. He hadn't answered her but she didn't expect him to waltz right into his life story right away. She could see behind his composure he had been hurt in the pass. Besides being the Hulk and all, there was something about Dr. Banner that hadn't been quite right.

Still silently waiting for his answer, Bella turned her head watching as a tiny group of crabs scattered across the sandy beach below. They tried their best to avoid the rain but the droplets of water were inevitable.

"I don't like…" Bruce started to say and then paused turning his head to look at her while she did the same. They stared at each other for a moment until he blinked, "I don't always know what will happen. It's safer for people to not know me…or the other guy."

Bella shifted, this time resting one of her arms while the other found its way onto her hip. "I have seen you at your best, and at your worst…" She smirked remembering the Hulk trying to _kill_ her on the Hellicarrier, "You don't need to be the paranoid doctor that you were in India, Brazil, or anywhere else you were…we- Tony, is here to help you…"

His eyes had shifted to looking back into the ocean. He too seemed at peace with himself despite the awkward conversation he and she had been having. "I know…" he muttered graciously with a frown.

Bella nodded and then turned right back to his position, the two of them looking just alike. Suddenly, a burst of wind hit the two causing small water bombs to explode in their faces. Bella jumped back, startled at first, and then laughed gently wiping her face with the back of her hand. "Just my luck, huh?" She giggled looking back as Bruce mimicked her motions as well. His smile bigger than she had ever seen on his face.

"Heh, yea…" He chuckled again this time cheerfully.

Her clothes felt heavy from the splash of rain and it was then that Bella remembered she was still in her pink and black lace nightgown. Luckily, her matching black robe had covered her chest hiding the embarrassing body parts from him. Pulling her robe tighter across her body, Bella moved back to her original position resting on the railing. "So…" She started to say catching Bruce's attention once again. "Have I convinced you to not hide any longer?"

He only chuckled again, his rough voice seeming to vibrate deep in his chest. "I came out of hiding today, and look what it brought." He motioned with his hands the rain above.

Bella shrugged, "I like the rain…actually, I like it better than having Tony and the other butlers gawk at Pepper and I in our swim suit, which by the way are wayyyyy to short to even be considered to go swimming in…"

He nodded with a smirk. "I believe that is the point. Well at least for Tony."

Isabella giggled again rolling her eyes, "Only the infamous Tony Stark can get away with it, I suppose."

"Bella?"

"Yes?"

Bruce intertwined his hands looking down once again, "Are you going to go back? To SHIELD- I mean…"

With a heavy sigh, Bella shrugged, "I really don't know…I have…I-I…" The nervousness in her chest beginning to build up causing her brain to feel like it was pounding against her skull. "Urg…." She roared softly placing her forehead in her hands. Her back hunched over while she rested all of her weight on the railing.

Suddenly a soft and relaxing hand rubbed against the silk on her back.

"I- Just don't know…" her breath hitched and she sat up, Bruce instantly retreated his hand. "Sorry…" She blinked back the angry tears scratching the top of her head.

"No. I-I'm sorry I even a-asked…" He smiled for a second and then frowned, his eyebrows crossing . "It's just that-"

In that instant a bright flash of light engulfed her eyes and as it faded a frightening crack of thunder erupted through the two's ears. Instinctively, Bella jumped almost ten feet in the air, pulling herself into Bruce's arms. She hadn't known what exactly that noise had been and after the attack, she didn't want to press her luck with anymore Gods or aliens.

But as the noise died down, Bella stiffened now comprehending the position she had thrown herself into, literally. Her knuckles were white from clutching his grey shirt so tightly, while her face embedded in the soft fabric. She could feel his skin on the other side of the shirt indicating just how close and personal she had pulled herself to. The sweet scent of sandalwood and musk filled her head bringing with it a new level of calm she had never felt before.

Bruce was in the same stiffened structure; one of his hands still resting on the railing, while the other held right above where her back would be. He could hear the pounding in her body- or maybe that was his? And whether it was from the lightning or from her, he honestly couldn't distinguish.

"I-I'm…" Bella lifted her head, still holding onto him as if her life depended on it. "T-That…" her breath died in her lungs as she stopped staring at her white knuckles. Throwing her hands slightly back, she let go of his shirt as it made a sort of popping sound against his skin. "That scared me!" She looked up shaking from the chest down.

Bruce only offered her a smile, his eyes longing for her to be in the position once again. And then his eyes changed, this time attentive and somewhat frightened, as he leaned in closer staring straight into hers.

"W-What?" Her voice croaked taking a hesitant step back.

Bruce blinked, his look of concern fading and then eyes roaming her figure. "N-Nothing…"

The two stared at each other for a moment now pulled apart from each other and yet still close. Bella parted her lips vocal cords vibrating trying to get the daunting question from bouncing around in her head when the sliding door opened once again.

"What the HELL was _that_!" Tony had come out on the porch sporting a pair of blue boxers and a bare and well-groomed hairy chest. "Don't tell me-"

"There's a lightning storm just over head of us." Bruce looked back to Bella, "We were just about to go inside when it struck."

Bella nodded still with her lips parted and a confused look surrounding her face. "R-Right…"

With a hesitant and gentle push, Bruce led Bella with his overly calloused and worn hand placed on her back as the two stepped inside. Both their tails in between their legs- so to speak.

Tony couldn't help but snicker in the moment as they parted to their bedrooms without another word.

* * *

**True life: the lighting thing happened to me and my fiancee the other day. The definition of a movie romantic experience I think. Ha. **

**So yes...her interest is becoming Bruce... honestly I think all the men are dreamy, but there's something about him that makes me feel like a gawking teenager. Weird. Hope you liked it! **


	16. Chapter 16

With the rain still pouring overhead, Bella retreated from out of her empty and lonely room to the plush couch in the living room area. The wall sized TV had been tuned into the game show network but Bella's focus had been torn between the TV to the holographic computer monitor floating above her lap.

As the woman on the show raved over the correct answer and the money she had just won, Bella's ears perked to the sound of heels clicking down the hallway. "Good morning, Pep's." Bella sighed stretching her arms. "How's your morning so far?" She noticed the strawberry blonde was dressed fashionably in a freshly pressed black pants-suit.

"Ugh, well that lightning for one woke me up!" She placed her hands on her hips stopping by the arm of the couch. "Do you think it was that God? Thor?"

Bella only snickered. "I doubt it…but yea, that was scary…" She thought about the reason she had been frightened… by her own actions instead of nature's curious ways. "On your way to that meeting? In San Fran, was it?" Bella asked looking back at the woman on the TV, now crying hysterically.

"Yea…bummer. But at least I won't be missing much today with this awful rain. Anyways…" Pepper picked up her purse on the matching love seat, "Tony mentioned he wanted to see you. He's in the library. See you later tonight!"

Groaning, Bella closed the computer screen twisting out of the cozy red blanket cocooning her cold legs. After this morning, she had gone into her room and changed into a comfortable pair of blue jean shorts and a silk-cotton black V-neck shirt. All of which, Tony had his personal assistants go out and by for his guest.

With her bare feet slapping against the marble floor, Bella hummed the tune of 'Take Care' from Rihanna and Drake- a song she had heard and liked as she and Pepper sat out by the pool. Living among the SHIELD crew had made her somewhat out-casted from the world. She couldn't even remember the last time she had sat down and thoroughly _watched_ a movie.

Opening a large wooden door from her path, Bella walked into the well stocked library of the mansion looking around for her host. "Oh, Mr. Stark?" she smiled closing the door behind her.

"Ah!" A voice sounded and he peaked out from under a desk. "Mrs. Marcone!" He stood picking up from the table a sweating glass in his hand, no doubt his expensive whisky on the rocks. With the motion of his hands, Bella walked graciously over to him as he proceeded to take a sip.

"Pepper said you wanted to talk. What's up?" Bella smirked crossing her right arm on top of her left. "About to lose your fortune or something?"

He ignored her comment, now straightening his lips into a thin line, swirling his glass in hand.

"Hey…" Bella gasped pulling her head back slightly from his gesture. "I was just kidding. If something is really-"

"Do you remember when JARVIS hacked SHIELD's data base?"

Bella shifted her head back confused as to why he would bring such a thing up at this time. "Yes…Why?"

"I read your file…"

Blinking and shifting her eyes downwards, Bella frowned. "Oh." She whispered.

"Your mother…" Tony shook his head slightly and sighed, "Bella I-"

"You didn't do it on purpose, Stark. You were a weapons company. It was your job."

"It was because of me soldiers like your mother were killed innocently." Tony's voice was stern. He had obviously been thinking about this issue for a while.

"No. My mother put her life at risk for the sake of her country. To protect me. To protect you. Everyone!" Bella remembered her mother's speech of why she had wanted to enlist in the first place. "Now please try to-"

"That's not all I found." He cut her off now looking curious. "Your father. Selvig mentioned you have no recollections of him right?" Bella's eyes perked up facing and intently watching Tony's lips as he continued to talk. "With a little digging and a super awesome AI, your father was in there too. As a _very_ private file." Taking Bella's right hand from its position he placed a small device in her palm. A USB drive. "You should look at it."

"_Thank you_…" Her breath hiccupped. She held the piece of plastic metal in her hand as if she had the weight of the world inside of it. To Bella, this was her world…the truth of her past. "But why? Why are you doing all of this for me?"

"You're an Avenger too. You helped save the world." Tony placed his hand on her good shoulder rubbing the shirt with his thumb. "It seems only fair for someone to save your world." Tony winked boosting his growing ego.

Aside from his big head gloating, Bella couldn't contain the emotions fluttering inside her stomach up into her throat. She threw her body onto his, throwing him off-guard for the moment as his body froze from the impact.

"Thank you." She pulled her soft lips from his cheek and then ran towards the door she had entered moments ago.

Finally, she had long awaited answers. Finally she could know something of the truth. Ignoring the slight burn in her chest as she ran down the hall praying the answers she were about to unlock were the ones she was looking for and not the ones she already had been told as a child.

* * *

With her feet slapping the marble ground and her head still fixated on the small device clutched in her hands she had been, distracted, allowing her feet to take her down the hallway mindlessly. As she passed a widow she found herself looking up and through the glass distracted by the thousands of droplets running down and beading on the outside surface.

"Bella?"

Gasping from her startled position, the young woman turned her head throwing the USB into her pocket. "Bruce! Just the man I need!" She walked towards him reaching for his arm. "Can you take me to the computer room? Please?" Her voice hinting for the use of his brilliant mind.

"Um…okay." He obediently followed her orders leading her in the direction of the room. "Why do you need the computers? I thought you would be enjoying the wonderful weather on your vacation." He smiled raising a hand to another window.

"Yea." She smiled for a minute and then hung her head low continuing to walk by his side. "Something's come up…"

Bruce took in the vibe that she didn't want to bring up the conversation and shortly after turning down another long hallway the doctor and agent were faced in front of a large metal door. Being a gentleman, Bruce pushed aside the door waving for Bella to step forward. As she did, green lights shined through the room futuristic-like. "So, Miss Bella…I'll leave you-"

"No." She reached for his wrist pulling him back, "Please…I uh," She reached into her pocket pulling out the small USB device. "I want you to open this. I would do it but ya know, I don't know…how exactly to turn on Stark's computers."

Bruce chuckled looking through the strands of his hair that shrouded his face. Carefully taking the device from her hands he placed it in a box and then suddenly three screens surrounded the two. "Is this it?" Bruce pointed to the single file flashing on the screen.

_'JARVIS encrypted file: Marcone, Bella.' _

"What is it?" Bruce seemed to have read the file as well.

"Well," Bella smiled nervously. "You know how the Avengers had SHIELD database files?" Bruce only nodded, "This one's mine…" She tapped the flashing words and suddenly pictures and words filled the three screens each one with a different topic at the top: MOTHER-Celina Marcone, ISABELLA MARCONE, FATHER.

"Which one should we start with?" Bruce sighed now feeling a bit overwhelmed by the task he had now been involved in.

"This." Bella pushed him aside tapping to make the file of her father bigger. Silently she and he read the file- together in silence.

"Bella-" Bruce eventually responded after closing his open jaw. "Your father…he was the co-founder of SHIELD? Why?…you didn't know?" he focused on the profile picture of the man sporting a grey and black SHIELD uniform. Besides the scar on the man's lip, he looked very similar to his daughter. More masculine, of course, but matched her so well.

Silence.

"Bella?" Bruce looked to his side scared from the look in her eyes, the tightness of her jaw, and most of all the calm statue of her figure. "Whats-"

"All this time, I've been wondering about him…and Fury." Her fists balled up so hard Bruce could see the veins straining themselves in her arms. "He _knew_ the whole damn time…" She shook her thoughts away to stop the tears from pouring out of her eyes.

"But, if you've been working there, how come you've never seen him?"

"Good point." Bella nodded releasing her fist. She scanned the page frantically and then pointed to the answer of his question. "Date of death-" She stopped recognizing that date anywhere.

"What?" Bruce noticed the horrified look on her face.

"He died just before I graduated from college…" She chuckled for a moment but not in a cheerful way. This was a chuckle of pure disgust. "_That's_ why Fury wanted me on the team. Not because I was useful. But because I was the daughter of the co-found of his stupid…URGH! His stupid little agency!" Bella slammed her fists on the holographic screen, only to fall from not having a source to put her entire weight upon.

"Woah," Bruce bent down patting her back gently not knowing exactly what to do. He opted to place a gentle hand on her back as a comfort but only knowing her for about two weeks put him in a strange situation. With the hunching of her back, Bruce stopped his thoughts now realizing she had been sobbing quietly. Now, as if he didn't know what to do before, he _really_ hadn't a clue how to revive her from her distress.

Quickly, Bruce attempted to meditate hearing his pulse thundering in his head and his vision now clouding with the memorable shade of green. He took a deep breath, from the depths of his diaphragm like the trainer in Brazil had taught him in order to avoid letting 'the other guy' out. Bella hadn't really recovered, despite the fact he constantly told her she was. To add another Hulk-attack on her never-ending list of trauma…

"Bella?" He whispered softly while still trying to sound somewhat masculine. By the jump of her back, Bruce declared his attempt a horrible failure.

Not remembering Bruce was in the room along with her, Bella jumped up from his whisper. She mentally kicked herself in that moment, for not brushing away the tears flushing from her cheeks.

To cry made her look weak, she believed, her mother always reminded her there was a place and time to cry, but not all the time. Besides the small sob of Coulson, Bella couldn't remember the last time she had really broke down and just cried. "I'm sorry. I-"

She began to apologize raising a hand to her face when the intriguing glare in Bruce's eyes caused a final tear to roll down the side of her face. His hand had somehow made its way to her cheek, cupping it from the bottom and sliding his calloused thumb across the smooth surface. His other hand had the woman entranced as he carefully lifted the lone tear onto his finger tip.

The term, déjà vu, screamed in her head as the vivid image from the attack in New York clouded her vision.

_Held in the massive green Hulk hands, Bella smiled, this time not afraid of the monster, "Go…they need you." She nodded trying to compose her stature hoping her distressed state wouldn't upset him any further._

_Watching Hulk carefully, Bella took note of his constant heavy breathing, her breath now seeming to mimic his. Nodding slowly, he seemed to have a mix emotion as he walked and placed her carefully on the only couch in the room._

_A giant green finger barely touched her cheek with the lonely tear slowly rolling down it. Picking his finger back up to understand the nature of the single droplet of water the brute grunted, "Stay alive." The beast let her go and then leaped out of the window shattering the glass window behind him._

"B-Bruce." Bella watched his eyes fade from a light shade of green into the sugary deep brown. The Hulk had almost returned in that instant and the woman couldn't be sure if she was scared or thankful that he had calmed himself. "Bruce!" She held onto both of his wrists leaning her face closer to his own. "Please…"

The look in his eyes focused in hers as the two involuntarily inched closer together. She could feel his breath, a strong scent of tea coming from each exhale. His lips looked soft and plump. In that moment she wanted to investigate her thought. And she would have, if he hadn't blinked shaking his head away from her.

"Heh." They both smiled hesitantly understanding the romantic and embarrassing moment, to say in the least. Bella wouldn't have thought after this morning with the lightning that the two couldn't be any more awkward around each other…guess she just proved herself wrong.

"So…" Bruce, still with her hands around his wrists, helped Bella and himself back to face the holographic screens. "Celina Marcone…" He looked at the picture of the older looking woman wearing an army uniform. She held two guns in her hands while the short jet black hair seemed to be blowing in the wind. "This is your mother?"

Bella nodded huffing at the picture. "Yea…my mom as feminine as they get, if you couldn't tell." The two shared a hesitant laugh at her sarcasm. "But, she taught me pretty much everything I know. My guns, fancy tricks, and how to defend myself as a thriving 13 year-old should." Her hand made its way to the back of her neck as she sighed, "She was insane, but the best mother I could have asked for."

Bruce smiled awe-struck by the passion of her own words. He shook his head slightly after a moment pause and then looked back at the file. "What happened to her?" He briefly read the information and stopped now understanding the meaning behind the host of their vacation. "Your mom…she was killed in the assistance of Tony Stark when he was kidnapped?" the expression in his face couldn't be described.

"Yea." Bella looked to the floor with a heavy sigh. "I never thought I'd like or even imagine myself near Tony with a ten-foot pole. _But,_" She paused for a moment trying to edit the words jumping around in her head. "My mom wouldn't have wanted that. She always told me she fought to protect people and if she died…then so be it. My grandmother raised me since my father was MIA and always reminded me to forgive and to forget… it's just hard to forgive someone who's taken your whole world away."

Bruce nodded. He couldn't exactly relate to her type of situation, but he could understand how she distressed she felt. Now, and in the past.

Not wanting to be the subject of the conversation any longer, Bella swiped the screens away and then began to type into JARVIS's search engine.

"Um, what are you doing?" Bruce sneered watching the words flash in the screen.

_'Avengers Hero Videos.' _

"Pepper told me that there were a lot of videos about you guys. And since I was out cold, I wanted to watch them." She smiled tapping on a video from you tube. It was a little boy explaining his reaction to the superheroes in the city.

"Well there was this cool guy in a red cape and he had this hammer thing that made lightning! And then this other guy dressed up like the flag and he was flinging this boomerang shield thing!" A little girl ran in the screen as well. "They were so cool! And there was a lady too! She blew up the aliens! I love that lady with the red hair!"

The video ended and Bella couldn't contain her giggles. Bruce had to admit, it was rather funny to know what normal people thought about their 'team.' Tapping on another video, this one of a smiling blonde woman, Bella sighed leaning her hip to Bruce's side.

"What like any of this is their fault? Captain America saved my life. Wherever he is…and wherever any of them are, I would just want to say, thank you." She smiled as the camera panned out.

"Well Cap's got a fan club." Bella nodded with a cheesy smile tapping on the next video. This one was of an old man playing chess. He didn't seem to concern by the cameras as much as he was on his game.

"Superheroes in New York? Gimmie a break!" the man waved the camera away and looked back at his game.

"Well geeze." Isabella bit her lip, "He doesn't seem too thrilled by us at all."

Bruce nodded, shifting his hands into his jean pockets. "Yea, probably doesn't do anything interesting for a living." Despite the look he might have offered on his face, Bruce enjoyed himself watching the clips. He hadn't seen them either since his focus had been to help save the life of the woman standing beside him.

The next video loaded and Bruce couldn't hold back his grin. Whether it was from the painting of the Hulk in the background or the sheer fact that Bella was standing right beside him, he didn't know. Or want to, for that matter. He soaked that moment, feeling her body heat on his.

A little boy and his mother were being interviewed in this clip. "Well, he'll tell you the story." The brunette looked down holding her sons hand. "Tell them, sweetie."

The boy nodded nervously and then smiled from thinking of what to say, "Well, the man was walking towards the floating snake and then he just went 'ROAR' and turn all green and stuff and beat up the alien! 'ROARRRRRR' I want to do that!" the boy jumped around his mother.

By the end of the video, Bella was in tears. "Brucey!" She punched his arm lightly. "You have a fan club!"

He shook his head with a smile, "No. I'm still the monster… 'the other guy' was just being cooperative for the time being."

She huffed leaning her face into his once again, "You are _not_ a monster, Bruce. I saw Hulk in the heat of battle. I watched him beat up the bad guy and then help the girl in distress. If Hulk really was a monster, he would have hurt me too…he wouldn't have saved Tony…he wouldn't have fought alongside of us."

Bruce's smile faded, in that moment he had visualized one other person who had told him something similar once before. _"Betty?"_

"You are hero, Bruce. Both you _and _Hulk." She smiled looking back at the screen and tapping another video clip before he had time to respond. This one was a trio of teenagers.

"So what happened?" The reporter asked, "Well." A girl spoke up, "We were trying to run away from the aliens when we found ourselves surrounded. But a lady ran towards us shooting the aliens away from us." One of the boys nodded while the other spoke, "She was totally hot too!" The girl shook her head and continued, "I don't know who she was, but thanks lady with the blonde hair…you saved our lives."

Now Bella had been the one quiet while Bruce chuckled lightly. "And you have one too…" But she didn't respond. "Bella?"

"I'm sorry!" She choked back her tears smiling widely, "My mother would have _loved_ to see this."

* * *

**I must say, shit went down! Like, a lot! I haven't given away TOO much of Bella's father because after all, only Fury knows the real answers. So you will just have to check back soon to find out! Muahahaha! (I'm so evil!)**


	17. Chapter 17

**This is probably one of my favorite chapters in the story. :) I hope it is for you all too! **

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

Bella had been in awkward situations in the past. But this…this topped all of them. Oh how angry had she been when Tony revealed to her that he was throwing a party tonight for his associates. Of course, being the sneaky dog Tony was, he had revealed to Bella and Bruce while the two were sitting around the pool, Bella and Pepper sunbathing as usual. This trip hadn't been a vacation. It was simply a business trip that he invited her and Bruce along for the company.

It was taking everything in her power not to storm over to his room on the other side of the mansion and punch him square in the jaw. Instead, Bella took deep breaths looking at her bouncy curls in the mirrors reflection in her larger than life bathroom.

Her hair and makeup had just been done by one of the best styling companies in California. Even though she honestly despised the way cover-up and base powder felt on her face, it made her flaws and scars from the battle a week ago disappear completely. It was strange, actually, to not look at her reflection and see the small cut on her lip with the red inflammation that surrounded it. Or the cut on her forehead that she received fighting hand to hand with a Chutari alien.

No matter how pretty she was, she didn't like it any more. Looking around the empty room, she pulled out some toilet paper and lightly removed some of the cover-up from her cheeks. After she was done, her face felt ten times lighter than it had before.

Sighing from her reflection, Bella brushed off the small speckles of make-up that fell onto her black dress. It was a soft fabric with perfectly flattering ruching on the waist and bottom, but hadn't been her favorite part about it. It specifically was a one shoulder strap dress that hid her circular scarred chest beautifully as well as covered her stitched thigh as well. Although, if it did show her cut, Bella would have thrown a fit at it being too short instead of being concerned with her scar.

Taking a step back glaring at her reflection in the mirror, Bella sighed. She had given up at this point. If Tony had specifically picked out her dress, shoes and accessories, he would more than likely notice if she didn't wear any of it.

"I'll go for twenty minutes. And then I'll come back in here and hide." She decided to herself nodding confidently. "Okay…" She sighed closing her eyes and trying to clear her mind. Was she anxious? Or was she angry? She wasn't quite sure.

Shaking away her thoughts, literally, Bella stepped out of the bathroom and into her room, the thin gold strappy heels clacking in the echoing room. She looked out the widow, so desperately longing to be on the beach outside and then switched off the light closing the door as she stepped out into the living room.

"Ah, Miss Marcone!" Pepper's voice came from the hallway near Tony and her bedroom. "You look wonderful!" She smiled from ear to ear and then became distracted as a group of guests arrived.

Rolling her eyes and wanting to retreat as fast as possible, Bella noticed a buffet featured outside. "Perfect!" She smiled walking out with her heels clanking on the floor. As she stepped out into the balcony she couldn't help but stop and watch the sun as it made its last few drops before it disappeared from the sky entirely.

"Miss Marcone-" Bella turned her head to one of the wait staff employees. How they knew her name, she'd never know, nor care. "Glass of champagne?" The man dipped a silver platter to her view. There had been about ten crystal flukes with a bubbly gold liquid inside. Of course it was only the good champagne, she noted in her head taking one of the glasses. After all, Tony prided himself by drinking the expensive stuff.

Still wanting to avoid the entering house guests, Bella made her way out into the grassy part of the lawn looking down the hill towards the beach. If only she could just throw off her shoes and skip through the water. "Eighteen minutes…" She closed her eyes taking a sip of the glass.

"Till what?"

Bella hadn't recognized the male's voice from behind her. Turning slowly, she looked over to a well dressed and groomed man in a navy pinstripe suit. "You're not planning on leaving just yet? The party's only just begun." He had a smug expression that disgusted Bella to no end.

"Oh." She faked a smile looking inside the house for Pepper, Tony, or even Bruce to run away to. "No, of course not." She walked in the direction of the living room when her elbow pulled her back.

"Hey, where are you going?" He held onto her arm tightly pulling her to face him. He was taller than she- almost about the size of Steve, but with none of his muscle. "I just got here. The least you could do is be polite and assist me throughout the night."

Breathe…Bella thought; the rage in her chest seemed to be growing frantically from the moment she stepped out of her bedroom. "No, thank you." And with that, she yanked her arm away and pranced out of his area.

Trying to merge through all of the incoming people, how many were coming anyways? And how did it get so crowded so fast? She thought seeing a familiar face. "Tony!" She waved her glass to his face causing him to chuckle.

"Enjoying yourself? What's that, fourth or fifth glass?" He looked pass her to a guest trying to push around her to talk to him.

"No!" She pulled him back looking into his eyes sternly. "Who are all these people, and why is-"

"Business associates, so try to be friendly and nice. It's a good thing we left your gun in NYC. Now go and enjoy the rest of the night, 'kay, Sweet Cakes?" He kissed her forehead gently and then pushed pass her once again.

With a small snarl, Bella took a sip of her drink fuming from the inside out. Oh he was gonna pay for this…one way or another. She looked behind her back hoping that the man from earlier had gone away from his spot outside. He had.

Smiling and quickly looking to her left and right, Bella pushed through the crowd walking pass the buffet table and replacing her empty glass with another, colder and full one.

The pearly white cushion chairs that remained outside were now pushed in the corner of the lawn where a stone pit fireplace had been burning. There wasn't anyone over in that area, and Bella sighed walking over to sit in the nook.

Sighing peacefully, Bella sunk into the chair relaxing with her glass raised to her face. They were pretty crystal clear glasses, she thought. And the fact that she was looking through her glass, pass the bubbles, to the fire burning ahead was stunning.

"You think you can get rid of me so easily?"

That voice again. Bella closed her eyes trying to hide the disgusted look growing on her face as the cushion sunk next to her. She opened her eyes again looking to the side at the man once again.

"At least you could tell me your name?"

"It's always proper to introduce yourself before asking for a name." She replied quickly.

He nodded with a grin, "Yes. My name is Michael Bonds. And you are?"

"Isabella Marcone." She spat out clearly showing she was not interested in the least bit. She took a sip of her glass once again looking to the fire.

"Well _Bells_, how 'bout you and I skip this little shin-dig and go out on the town."

He had to use that nick name…out of ALL of them. He **had** to pick that one.

"You look good enough…good enough to eat." He placed his hand on her left leg that had been crossed over the right, sliding his hand up towards her crotch.

"Okay that's it!" She jumped up trying to avoid his grasp but she had been slowed from the shock of everything. He turned her back to face him once again, this time holding her down by clutching and pulling her waist to his. "You just don't know how to take 'no' for an answer, do you?" She mocked as one of his hands traveled up her back and the other slid to her back side. "Just like my friend, Mr. Stark…"

Bonds sneered again, this time squinting his nose. "You _are_ perfect. Great body…" He bit his lip as his hand began to cup her bottom. She had to admit, in what she lacked in boobs, she had in the backside…but this. This was disgusting.

"And a _dirty_ blonde…cuz I like 'em-"

Before he could finish anymore, Bella had taken enough of this torture. She shoved her glass in his face, blinding him with the sting of the drink causing him to remove his hands. "Why you!" He snarled wiping his eyes and clutching her bare shoulder.

Giving into the anger, Bella heard a popping sound and then felt a burning sensation from her left hand growing through her arm and into the circular burn on her chest. "Worthless human being!" She spat out as he tumbled backwards onto the ground.

She had just punched him without a thought. Now, standing over top of him, she became horrified. His face was bloody. She had applied enough pressure to break his nose. "Great…" She muttered remembering Tony's statement earlier. "Tony's gonna kill-"

She gasped falling onto the couch as a thousand needles seemed to pierce her chest. The burn. She hadn't been careful and now she was going to need medical attention to have it healed. "B-Bruce..." She needed to find him, he would know what to do.

"Bella!"

_"Speak of the devil."_ She looked up into his chocolate brown eyes. "Hey." She winced trying to push herself off the couch. "I-I-I…" She looked down at Bonds who had started to sit up, his face steaming with embarrassment and anger. "I was so angry…I-"

"You little _bitch_!" Bonds stood shakily to his feet punching his fist into his palm.

"Listen here, bud." Bruce had turned around stopping the man from walking closer to Bella. Even as Bonds towered Bruce, he continued to hold his ground. "Leave while you still can. But trust me when I say, make me any angrier and I promise you will wish you were _never_ born."

"Heh. Yea? You scrawny-"

"What seems to be the problem here?"

All three turned their heads looking at none other than the host of the party. "Well, I see Isabella has met Michael. And Bruce here as well." He smiled as if nothing had happened raising the glass in his hand.

"T-Tony…I-I…" Bella began to hesitate but she stopped as a hand pulled her into their body allowing her uninjured arm to wrap around their waist. It had been none other than Bruce. Her personal and Jolly Green doctor. "B-Bru-"

"Sh. Come on." He whispered holding all of her weight as she and he walked across the deck towards the front of the mansion. Towards _his _room. Maneuvering perfectly to avoid any potential incomers from the two, Bruce and Bella made their way in front of his door and quickly he opened, shut, and locked it before anyone else could intrude on the others.

"Here…" he motioned for her to sit down on the ottoman by the base of the king sized bed while he rushed into the bathroom on the left. Overall, his room looked very similar to hers. The only difference had been that everything was reversed. His bathroom was on the left, her's on the right. And there was no ocean view from the window.

Walking back into the room, Bella looked up at Bruce with the medical kit in his hand. It was then she noticed his attire. A nice pair of dark brown dress suit slacks and an emerald green shirt top with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

She smiled at him while he sat, practically fuming from his wavy hair, while he pulled out the appropriate supplies to assist her needs.

"Bruce-"

"Don't." He snapped looking back at her with a straight face. "J-Just…" His eyes softened and he sighed releasing all of the burning pressure. "Just roll down the sleeve of your dress." He muttered shyly.

Bella cocked her head to the side slightly picking up on his tone of voice. "A-Are you? Embarrassed?" She whispered rolling down the sleeve gently down her shoulder making sure it stopped where a normal halter dress would start.

Bruce turned his head raising an eyebrow. "N-No…" And then he sighed shaking his head and then observed the painful area.

"Well then…" She replied looking away while he conducted his examination. She had learned to ignore him while he made sure her body was in working condition, but now, after all the drama…she couldn't seem to keep her emotions intact.

Cursing herself for being a woman, Bella helplessly gave into her soft tears hoping the doctor wouldn't have noticed or heard her small whimpers. But apparently he had.

"Isabella…" His voice was rough and yet smooth as his hold on her chest fell from its position. "Don't…"

"Don't what?" She yelled back standing to her feet. Looking down at his confused face, the tears only seemed to continue. What the hell was happening to her? "I-I-I'm so…angry, and upset, and tired, and scared, and-and…" Huffing, Bella attempted to walk towards the door but a pull of her waist claimed her to the base of the bed once more.

"What's happening to me? This isn't normal...is it?" She whispered looking at her hands intertwined together. Her vision blurred by the tears in her eyes.

"Bella, I-"

A knock cut off Bruce's statement causing him to stand and walk towards it. "Y-Yes?" he answered.

"Open up, or I'll have JARVIS spy on you two. Make sure you're taking care of my little sweet cake in there."

Rolling his eyes, Bruce allowed their host as well as Pepper into the room.

"Stark." Bella wiped her tears from off of her face most likely ruining her makeup. "I'm so sorry I-"

"You better be! We had to compensate him so that he wouldn't call the police!" the strawberry blonde frowned with her hands on her hips.

Tony only chuckled walking over to the bed with his hands in his black suit pockets, "Getting busy over here, Doctor?" He had noticed her strap down her arm. "Always knew you had it in you."

Bruce had rolled his eyes crossing his arms in the process.

"Anyways. Thanks for taking care of that problem, Iz, I've never really liked Bonds."

"Then why invite him?" Bella snapped back.

"His father owns one of the largest banks in the United States." Pepper started to say, "Guess we need to find a new one now…" She pulled out her smarter than the average phone and began tapping furiously away at it.

"I told you I didn't want to do this…I even found you trying to tell you about that _disgusting_ human being. You didn't listen! You ignored me! You put me into this situation and-"

She stopped. For some reason her vision had begun to turn green. Green with rage. With anxiety, the fear of Michael and the degrading words he spoke. "You _did_ this to-"

But her words stopped as a force pulled them into their arms. "Bella…_please_…" It had been Bruce's voice above her, pressing her head into the soft fabric of his shirt. "Shhh…"

"I-What? What is happening- t-to me?" She didn't cry very often throughout her life. But when she did, she cried, hard. Deeping her face into the crevasse of Bruce's neck, Bella wept giving into her emotions as a final breaking point in her life. She couldn't even last twenty minutes at a party. Not even ten, before she fled the scene.

Hearing, but not taking in the voices, Bella listened as Pepper's heels clicked out the door.

"Remember, safe sex." Stark commented and then the sound of the door closing echoed through the stillness of the room.

Trying her best to stop, Bella sighed relaxing every muscle in her body. "I'm sorry-" She whispered.

"No." Bruce's hands had been on her waist without her even noticing and now they slid off hanging by his side. "I am…I should have told you…sooner."

Sniffing Bella raised her head, "Wha?" She was confused. Had he been watching her the whole night?

"I just…" Bruce's eyes locked into hers and then drifted away. "I'm sorry…" his head fell allowing the curls from his hairline to shadow his eyes. "Wou-would you, join me for a walk?"

Sniffing, Bella rolled her neck, "I'm not exactly dressed for a walk…" She rolled the sleeve back to her shoulder.

Bruce only smiled, "Neither am I." He placed a hand on her back reassuring her to follow, "But we-you need to get away from this. I know you were trying to escape earlier. So…please?" The care and genuine sincerity of his tone was nothing missed. Giving into those sweet chocolate brown eyes, Bella wiped the running make-up from under her eyes as Bruce opened the door.

He kept a firm and yet gentle grasp on her back, leading her towards the front door of the mansion. As they stepped out on the patio, Bruce held open the door for a couple entering and then motioned for her to follow him towards the side steps.

"Bruce?" Bella tilted her head watching as he leaned down removing his shoes and socks from off of his feet. "What are you-?"

"I don't know if you've ever tried, but it's kind of difficult to try to not get sand in your shoes when you walk on the beach." He nodded his head looking down at her feet. "Although, I'm sure it wouldn't be too bothersome with those on…but-"

"No." She nodded bending down carefully to remove the Jimmy Choo sandal heels from off her feet. "I hate it too…" He only nodded after she finished, leading her towards the beach, the two walking in silence enjoying the blissful and yet bittersweet moment.

"Bella I-"

"I'm sorry." Bella cut off the doctor's sudden apology. "About, the other day." She motioned with her hands and then crossed her arms trying to shut her mouth up from talking anymore.

"What? Do you mean the thunderstorm or the fact that you practically own SHIELD?"

She laughed looking down as her feet kicked up a bunch of sand in front of the two, "Both." She stopped and turned watching the dark waves crash onto the shore. The windy breeze blowing her perfectly straightened and styled hair behind her back. "Have you ever seen the movie Forrest Gump, Dr. Banner?"

Bruce only sighed standing along her side, "Yes. Once, it seems like forever ago…"

The woman smiled embarrassed from her question and then sighed, "Then, in this moment, I wish I fly…far far away…like a bird." Her eyes lifted looking into his, "What's happening to me?" She whispered.

Rolling his head, Bruce looked away from her gaze as he spoke, "Something's happened…"

Bella only shook her head not satisfied with his response. "_Please_. Tell me, because out of everyone, you're the one I trust the most…" A single tear rolled down her check and she quickly raised a hand to wipe it away.

"Bella I-"

She only nodded, "Please…" Her whisper almost bringing Bruce to his knees at the sound of her pleading.

"I might have…altered you…"

"What?"

He sighed throwing his hands into the pockets of his pants. "I might have altered your DNA…"

Bella nodded looking down at the sand sinking her feet while her fists clenched so hard her veins began to bulge in her forearms from the pressure. "What the hell are you talking about, Banner?" She snarled looking over to a saddened Bruce.

The look, the sincerity in his eyes made the anger fade from her vision. "D-does this mean I'm going to go all hulk-ish when I get angry?" She dropped her fists running a hand through the hairspray curls in her amber hair.

"No," He chuckled hesitantly and then placed a hand on her exposed shoulder, "I saw in your eyes, the green. The gamma. From saving you, I've inflicted this curse in your blood…" He paused removing his grasp and sighed, "I'm sorry…When we get back inside, I was going to ask for a sample of your blood. So that I could test it and compare it to mine."

Bella only nodded her head not providing a response to his question. She looked back into the water with a heavy and deep sigh. "Maybe…Someday…I _will_ fly…far. Far. Away…" She inched closer to the shore line ready to jump into the cold Malibu water. "Bruce?" He only looked into her eyes. "I'm scared…I don't want to face the truth, but a part of me _needs_ to know."

He nodded looking up into the night sky. For the moment, the SHILED agent felt vulnerable looking back into the longing look in his eyes. "Fury has been with me from the beginning. But. He's lied. He always has…" She looked into his face carefully placing her hands on his shoulders. "What can do? I don't want to hurt anyone…but-"

She stopped her sentence as her vision clouded with a green tint once more. Taking a deep breath, Bella looked back at Bruce, her hair flowing back with the force of the wind, "I have to…I have to follow SHIELD…"

Walking next to her, Bruce pulled her hips alongside hers, "You don't _have _too…but I admire your courage. I want to help you…after all, it's my fault-"

"No it's not."

"What?" Bruce pulled his head back.

"Without your help, I'd be dead." She smiled wrapping her arms around his neck pulling her body closer to his, "I'd rather have _your_ tainted blood in my body than in the afterlife any day."

* * *

**I know, I know...their romance is very slow...BUT, I personally feel like Bruce is the type of guy that had fallen for a woman once before and left because he believed he wasn't good enough. So of course, when he sees a younger woman who is very naive and focused he would feel the same way. And, from what I've read and guestimated, Bruce is about 35-37 years old, making him 9-11 years older than Bella. (My parents are 9 years apart so I don't find that weird) So I feel like he doesn't want to act on his emotions until Bella returns them...but she does, subtlety. **

**That's just how I feel. Let me know if you think otherwise!**


	18. Chapter 18

Bella sighed in content as she sank into the tan leather plush of the Stark Industries private jet. This time, compared to last, had been more relaxing since she hadn't just recovered from critical condition still after the attack.

The young smiling flight attendant walked over to Bella coughing to get her attention from her eyes shut peacefully. Casually opening one of her grey orbs Bella looked up at the attendant. "Excuse me, would you like for me to bring you something to eat or drink?" She offered.

Opening her mouth to speak, Bella had been interrupted by a male's voice, "Bring her back some fruit juice and cookies," Bruce walked over to the side with a smirk.

"Will do, and for you?"

"Water." He nodded taking the seat that faced the woman. "I need a sample of your blood." The split-personality doctor responded again before Bella had the chance to ask him what he was up to.

"You got it doc." Bella smiled genuinely staring into his brown orbs. How a man could distract her so easily with just the use of his eyes was beyond her comprehension but she didn't deny or try to hide it.

"Here you are." The woman placed the food in front of the couple to the polished marble table that separated the two. "Buckle up; we are going to take off shortly."

The two nodded fastening their safety belts around their waist. Bella looked down at the circular sugar cookies. They looked warm and gooey, surprising because after all, they were on a plane. She bit into it and smiled feeling like she had gone and went to heaven.

"So I don't need a whole lot of blood, but even to test, sample and-"

"What the cool kids sit at the back of the bus?" Tony chuckled sitting by Bella's side and reaching for a cookie. "These are fabulous. Mh." He smiled through his chews and then continued on with his conversation. "Anyways. Don't be in the back just because you think you can get away with naughty things you sly dogs. Just because we are in the air doesn't mean JARVIS isn't watching." His tone was playful and yet smug causing Bella to throw her last bit of her cookie at the billionaire while still munching with a smile on the piece in her mouth.

Bruce only smiled back. "No, of course not."

"Well, before we take off and end up back in the city, I have a proposition for you Banner." Tony brushed off the crumbs on his grey suit standing up to look down at the glasses wearing super genius. "I want you to work for Stark Industries in the R&D department. A whole floor to yourself, a group of geeky lab techies, a paycheck and living arrangements, and of course protection." With a wink Tony smiled to the contemplating man. "Let me know your answer when we land." He looked to the front of the jet pointing a finger, "Ms. Potts!"

Bella sat back in her chair once more folding her arms over top of her chest. "Score." She nodded with an eyebrow raised. However, Bruce didn't look entirely as thrilled as she thought he would have been. "Bruce?" She tilted her head looking towards him. "Hello? Earth- uh- jet to Bruce, incoming?"

He merely jumped in his chair looking into Bella's grey eyes. "Yea…what?"

She giggled leaning forwards. "You should take it. I know SHIELD has been protecting you for a while now, but Stark…the Army wouldn't touch him with a ten-foot pole. And especially with-"

"I was just surprised." He cut her off once more with a faded smile, "I'll think about it. Once the jet is in the air, I'll need to take a sample. All right?" the woman nodded opening and closing both of her hands while she watched the veins pop from their position with the force of her clench.

"So what do you think the theory of my 'gamma poisoning' is?" She asked staring at her hands. 'Gamma poisoning' had been what Bruce had called her condition just before they left the beach last night. "You said I'm not going to 'Hulk-out' but yet there are times when I just feel so angry…Like when I punched Bonds. I didn't mean to. It just happened." She looked up from her hands looking back at her creator.

He nodded biting his lip as if he were trying to think of the right words. "From what I've gathered through observation, your strength is dependent on the anger. Sort of like me but not as, _extreme._ I don't think you'll _'Hulk-out'_ but I can't be positive until I get a sample."

Bella groaned. "I don't like giving blood…" She turned her head to look out the window. "I don't like needles. But I guess I'll just put my big girl panties on and suck it up, for science."

Bruce smiled taking another cookie, "For science…"

* * *

"Where can I examine the blood sample?" Bruce asked Tony once the four vacationers stood in the posh elevator of Stark Tower. Pushing a new number on the elevator aside from the top floor that had already been pressed, Tony smirked. "In your new lab, that is if you have an answer to my question."

"Tony…" Pepper lightly punched his arm.

"Abuse! Did you see that Belle? You're a witness to my domestic violence." Tony turned to the agent as she simply rolled her eyes in the back of her head. The elevator buzzed before she had time to retaliate with a smart comment as the doors pushed aside. "Ah! Here we are. Ms. Potts, if you want to head up I'll meet you in a bit." He led Bruce and Bella out of the elevator.

"Wow…" Isabella mused looking around the room. Holographic computers seemed to be everywhere. On the tables, the walls and even on some of the equipment. This must have been a scientist's haven from the look of everything.

Turning her head, she watched as Bruce touched a steel table, lips parted and eyes opened wide. "This is…mine? The whole floor?" He whispered looking around.

Tony suppressed an amused chuckle. "All yours Jolly Green, well and of course mine too. You are in charge of the whole department." Bella had looked up from a monitor overtop of another steel table changing her focus from Tony to Bruce.

"So." Tony crossed his arms. "Whada say, Doctor?"

Bruce took a deep breath placing carefully the vile of Bella's blood on the table in front of him. "All mine…me. Why?"

"Why not?" Tony replied back.

With a slow nod Bruce turned his head to his new employer. "Yes."

"Well then," Tony turned about face and winked. "Play nice you two."

Bruce continued to walk around the room with eyes sparkling brightly as he examined the different objects and equipment. He looked like a kid in a candy store that was told he could have anything he wanted. "Bruce…" Bella whispered as he bent down to examine a mechanical arm. "This is, amazing! Tell me it's not!" Her smile was from cheek to cheek.

"Well," He stood burying his hands in his jean pants pockets. "It's not _that_ amazing."

"The look on your face tells me otherwise."

"Heh," He looked down and then back up at the young woman. "It's that obvious huh?" She nodded. "Guess it's what I've always dreamed off. Having a lab and unlimited funding…technology that is up-to-date and that college kids aren't using…it _is_ perfect."

Bella walked over to his figure step by step, the small heel of her ballet flats echoing through the walls of the room. "You have to stay." She stopped in front of him hands resting on her own hips.

Bruce nodded looking around the room once again. "I am."

Overjoyed with his decision, Bella threw herself onto him holding onto the back of his shirt as she hugged him tightly. "I'm glad." She pulled back holding onto the sides of his shirt. "So, get started all ready!" She giggled, trying to push him from his startled position. "Your equipment is waiting, Dr. Banner."

She didn't miss the look in his eyes as she pushed him towards the table stationed with her blood sample. Just when she was about to ask him a question, JARVIS interrupted. "I'm sorry, but Ms. Marcone?"

"Yes?"

"There is a call for you. Would you like for me to put it on speaker?"

"Sure." Her eyebrows crossed as she felt strange answering the Artificial Intelligence through the walls of the room. She was about to make a funny comment to Bruce when Nick Fury's voice came through the other line.

"Had a pleasant vacation, Agent Marcone?"

"Y-yes sir."

"Good. We need you to come back to base right away. A jet will be there to pick you up in exactly two hours. We need to brief you on your absence."

With a sigh, Bella nodded even though she knew he couldn't see her confirmation of understanding. "Yes sir, commander. By the way…" She smirked looking to the eyes of the new Stark scientist. "You have some explaining to do."

He paused for a moment and then sighed. "I do. We will discuss the subject when you arrive in a secure location." The walls clicked as if Fury had hung up the phone leaving Bruce and Bella quiet only listening to the small beeps and humming of the equipment in the lab.

"Do you need to go?" Bruce questioned sincerely.

"No." Bella responded quickly looking back at him. "I can stay for a while. Get my mind off of everything before I leave…" Her eyes looked down to the bottom of her straight leg jeans as she tapped her black flats on the ground as a nervous habit.

"Do you thi- think he'll answer everything? Not lie?"

Bella sighed lifting her head and shaking it. "I don't know…but," she intertwined her hands together, "I'm scared shitless…why? Why should I be so scared to know the truth? That seems wrong, doesn't it?"

Bruce raised his hand holding her wrist carefully, "The truth can be one of the hardest things to face, I believe. But those that confront it are some of the strongest and bravest people I know." He smiled causing her to smile back. "Come on…" he nodded for her to follow. "Let's take a look into the world of Bella Marcone's blood, shall we?"

* * *

Bella had been speechless as she sat on the blood stains on the couch at the top of Stark Tower awaiting the means of transportation to her employer. Bruce stood by her side, also not saying a word, while he watched through the new windows that had recently been replaced by the broken and shattered ones from the fight a week ago.

Why the blood-stained couch hadn't been replaced hadn't been a question in the man's mine since he had happily collected a sample of Bella's dried blood from a small incise from the object. This sample was imperative since it was to be his experimental control.

Pepper and Tony, however, had been very lost in their own world, talking on the phone, answering emails and looking at virtual blueprints to fix their home. Or rather, their home and Bruce's as well. Tony had insisted Bella to be a member of their growing family, but she politely declined until she heard what Fury would have to say this afternoon.

"It's here…" Bella stood looking out the window towards the black dot that seemed to near the tower. She took a step towards Bruce, casually brushing her hand against his while offering a gentle grasp. Looking down, Bruce attempted to be non-chalet about her hand in his but to Pepper and Tony watching from behind, they could see the stiffness in his posture clear as day.

"You should go." Bruce whispered motioning with his head and eyes to the Iron Man platform outside on the balcony. Giving his hand a gentle squeeze, Bella nodded letting it go as she took another step forwards the doctor following cautiously behind her.

As soon as she stepped outside the furious wind seemed to want to rip her hair from right out of her head. Whether the breeze had been from the incoming jet or the height of the building, Bella couldn't tell because the stray strands of her bangs had been blinding her eyesight. Running her fingers through her forehead, she contained as best as she could the hair from out of her face.

As the jet hovered near the circular platform, the side opened revealing an emotionless Maria Hill sporting her usual SHIELD uniform. "Agent Marcone." She nodded to the casually dressed agent.

"Agent Hill…" Bella nodded back taking a single step forwards but then stopped before she took another. With the turn of her head, she looked back towards the inside of Stark Tower at the trio of friends watching her leave.

Before Loki's attack she only Liz as her friend; her best friend that she trusted more than herself. After the attack, she had lost one but gained three; three friends that were kind enough to support her, cloth her, and even nurse her from a death bed.

Her focus first went to Pepper, her red-blonde hair still managed to stay perfect even through the harsh wind. Bella never would have thought she would find company that equaled Liz after she died. Pepper was a good friend: a person to talk to about sophisticated things and then to complain about the usual hangnail or split ends.

She looked to Tony. His styled goatee seemed so hard to master, but he did it even on a rainy day. If it wasn't for Stark, her mother would still be alive. She would have a happier life- she believed in the past. But now, knowing him these couple of weeks, she couldn't imagine him not in her life. He had given her so much and she had nothing to repay him in return. Of course, she knew he felt guilty but that didn't make her feel any better.

And then there was Bruce. His wavy hair fluttering in the wind just like hers- maybe even worse. He was the definition of the perfect boyfriend in her eyes. The care, the sweet teddy bear attitude, the charm, and of course good looks despite the older age he had over her. She only wished she had told him just how much she admired him before she would leave for SHIELD.

Fury hadn't said that she was leaving permanently so if there was one thing she was going to fight for, it would be him…she would fight to come back, just to tell him how much she _did_ care.

With a smile, she nodded to the three not daring to look away from the brown eyes she had grown to love over the past week. "Bye." She mouthed to them and then turned walking into the jet. The doors closed behind Agent Hill as the roar of the engine took off into the sky.

Looking out the window brought a déjà vu moment when she and Bruce had been talking earlier on the Stark jet. He had made a sarcastic comment about Tony causing Bella to burst into laughter. With a smile tugging on her lips, Bella could visualize the nervous lip biting Bruce had when she finished- for a moment, she had actually visualize him right in front of her just as they were this morning.

Maria coughed, diminishing the vision of Bruce in front of her. "Did you have a good trip?" She asked but by the tone in her voice Bella assumed she didn't want an actual response. Sinking into the seat she nodded, "Yes. Of course…" She looked back out at the window, silent and motionless until the jet landed on the invisible Hellicarrier.

"Marcone." Agent Hill offered her a hand onto the runway. Not wanting to seem helpless, Bella shook her head and jumped out like a cat to the deck below. "Director Fury will see you in the command center." Hill cupped her hand over her ear possibly retelling commands through her ear-piece.

The amber-haired agent nodded and followed a couple of SHIELD soldiers down to the command center when her heart seemed to stop as she noticed an infamous bald head from behind. "Director?" Bella spat out causing him to turn.

His one eye almost seemed to pierce right through her flesh. "Agent Marcone." He nodded crossing his arms. "I believe you have some questions for me."

Bella glared with a smile, "I believe you have some answers."

He returned the smile, "I'll try my best." He offered her a hand towards the private de-briefing room. "This way if you please." With a nod the young woman took the lead opening the door for herself as Fury closed it gently behind making sure to hear the click of the lock before he turned to face the fuming woman.

"First things first." She sat down in one of the chairs. From the looks of the room, it seemed to be a sort of interrogation room that she had seen on those police homicide TV shows when she was in college. They always seemed to catch her interest. To figure out _why_ a criminal would commit a crime…

"Tell me about him. About Richard Peterson." She eyed the eye-patch wearing man not budging on offering another option to back out. "My father. He was your friend, your co-founder of this operation." She looked down at her hands and then huffed, "That's why you wanted me to work. You felt sorry for him once he died…"

Fury took a seat in front of the woman with his hand intertwined on the table. "Close, but no. I offered you this position like I do for all of my other Agents, because you are the best in your field. The only reason you believe that this job came to you so easily is because the date of your father's death is so close." He sat back in the chair, still with his hands on the table while he opened his mouth once more. "Do you remember when I showed up to your graduation, Bella?"

She looked up startled that Fury called her by her first name. "Yes. How could I forget?"

"That day, I watched a young woman, who had accomplished so much in such a short time with no one there to support her. No mother. No father. And your caretaker, your grandmother, had just passed away the year before. I saw a woman, who was completely alone and yet strong enough to fight and continue on with her life. To survive, to be the best, and to accomplish her dream."

Nick stood pacing around the table while Bella silently listened.

"I knew in that moment, you would be if not better than your own father…you needed the opportunity- the big break- before you gave up all that you had strived for." Fury stopped turning his back while he looked out into the small one-view mirror that looked out rather than in to the command center. "That is why you were invited to be a part of SHIELD. Your determination. Your desire to survive. It is one of the best among all of my agents."

Feeling the red burning on her cheeks, Bella sighed. "Well thank you…but you still avoided my question before. Who was Richard? Tell me how he died. Why did he die? And more importantly why did you not tell me?"

Looking back Fury closed his one eye with a nod. "He died the same way Celina had. To protect the people he was fighting for. I didn't want to reveal this information until I knew you were ready. It was _his_ wish, after all, or else I would have informed you from the beginning." He sat down on the chair looking back into Bella's saddened eyes.

"Isabella. Your father was my friend. My better half and now seeing his daughter there are so many qualities of him, in you." He crossed his arms once again, "Agent Marcone, do you recall the file I gave you about the Tesseract's previous owners, the infamous WWII organization known as HYDRA?"

She nodded.

"Well, just like Captain America, they survived as well and decided to take over the world once again. Before all hope was lost, your father took the lead sacrificing his own life to protect the innocent. To protect _you_. It killed him to not see you after the divorce of him and Celina but he always watched you from a distance."

Bella sighed the harsh truth from out of her lungs. Honestly she felt sick. Now knowing her father had been just as courageous as her mother, despite the awful words her mom and grandma had shoved down her throat. "So…he was a hero?"

Fury only nodded offering her a slight smile. "A hero indeed." He reached into his pocket revealing a manila folder and throwing it onto the table.

"What's this?" She reached for the files being sure not to open them until her question was answered.

"Your new project. You're needed-"

"Woah, wait? Already? The world needs saving _already_?" She placed a hand on the closed file with a grimace.

"Yes. It always seems too." Fury stood ready to leave when Bella responded.

"But-" She pushed the file to the edge of the table standing, "I came to tell you- I quit." Her arms folded causing Fury to purse his lips. "You can't." He responded making her tilt her head to the side. "Not yet anyways. I'll make a deal with you: finish this mission and then you will be able to resign."

Bella nodded holding out her hand. "Deal."

Taking a step and shaking her hand Fury sighed, "I knew something like this would happen."

"What, one of your Agents would get upset and leave?"

For the first time, Bella saw Fury's lips curve into a full on smile, "No. That one of my best Agents would give it all up…"

Freezing in the moment, Bella could only imagine he knew everything- probably watching from a distance while she was on vacation. "Wha- what do you mean?"

He turned about face unlocking the door. "Just be careful. That man can be a danger to himself."

"No…" Bella whispered looking to the floor her fists tightened until she felt hers veins bulging. "He's not, but I can."

* * *

**Dun dun daaaa! So Fury has revealed the background on Bella's father, but just when she wants to tell him she quits he responds with another mission. This one being important to her leave of SHIELD. Will Bella be able to perform the duties or will a certain lovable split-personality scientist get in the way? Hmmmm?**

**-yesiamweird**


	19. Chapter 19

**WARNING: **

**Slightly depressed and suicidal thoughts at the beginning of this chapter. Nothing too drastic, but it might hit a sensitive area to some. Plus an intoxicated Bella could be somewhat offensive, but I think it's hilarious. There's only one more chapter after this so eat it up! I'm thinking of possibly continuing on with a sequel so please leave a comment if you would continue to read!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

The jet ride back to Stark Tower was more than unfriendly. It was painful and quiet, but mostly quiet. The few SHIELD agents that had been asked to escort Agent Marcone back wouldn't so much look at her, let alone hold a conversation with.

Out of the goodness of Nick Fury's heart (sarcasm intended) he allowed Isabella to return to retrieve her 'needed supplies' for the night insisting a vehicle would collect her in the morning to depart on her final mission. Fury was a smart, sometimes Bella thought too smart, so why would he let her escape when she obviously had been lying through her teeth? Maybe he did have a soft side and Bella was one of the few that had gotten to witness such a thing.

With only a briefcase stationed in her lap, Bella folded her arms over top of the silver case contemplating how to tell Bruce about her mission. Actually, her assignment was not to be talked about even among other SHIELD operatives but she would have to tell him she was leaving…the question was how?

Looking out the window, Bella could see the lone glowing 'A' on Stark Tower towards the city of lights twinkling throughout the black night sky. A slight curve on the edges of her lips indicated her departure from the torturing ride was near. In the next moment, one of the agents placed his hand on the woman's shoulder, "Here you are Agent Marcone." He smiled through his helmet offering her a helpful hand.

She took the handle of the case and unbuckled her seat belt with the other taking his hand as she stood. "Thank you." She looked into the face the younger man silently observing that he couldn't have been more than 21-23 years of age. So young, and yet so clueless to what SHIELD would make him do in the future.

As the jet hovered alongside the circular platform just as it had this afternoon, Bella jumped out with her hair fluttering above her shoulders. With the wave of her free hand, the door to the jet closed and took off fading into the night like a shooting star.

Bella stood there for a moment allowing her body to absorb the cold brittle wind lapping against the exposed parts of her flesh. Her skin bumped from the cold, or maybe it was the intensity of the moment that caused her skin to bump.

Her thoughts seemed to never end as she recalled the words Fury had told her. Richard was her father. Richard had _sacrificed _himself to save others. Richard was a _hero._ Like her…

Looking down and over the edge of the surface, Bella couldn't seem to look away from the vivid illumination reflecting in her eyes. The way the colors sparkled and shined throughout her mind, it was simply stunning. Like a drug. The high of the colors combined with high of the actual height…

Walking along the very edge, still with the silver case in her hand, Bella remained focused on a set of blinking green lights. The emerald tint of the LED was astonishing in her mind. She craved to be near it, to see it in person.

Dropping the briefcase in the middle of the walkway, Bella turned to the side allowing the heel of her left foot to rest on the surface while her toes hung out into the cold New York City air.

_"How would it feel?"_ She wondered. _"What would it feel like to fall, a hundred, no, two-three hundred feet down into the ground below?" _

She imagined the wind rushing through her hair, skin and face, while her body felt weightless as it lowered towards the ground, foot by foot, inch by inch, until the impact shot through her body, crushing her bones. It would be fun, to say in the least. Just to know what those last few blissful seconds until impact would feel like. _"The rush…"_

She tilted her head to the side now looking at her right foot. She lifted it carefully, hanging it over the edge, her shoe almost feeling like it could fall off from the gust of the wind as her leg dangled in the air.

If she fell, she could see them again. All of them. It was tempting…maybe…too tempting.

Her breath seemed to not work as she contemplated the issues of taking another step with her left foot. Her inner conscious having a hard debate against the reality of everything…it just seemed uncomplicated. It would be the easy solution, to fall, and it would be the most magical sensation she would experience.

Her eyes seemed to glisten as her focus changed to a shiny bright white light on the streets. She wanted to be by it, to discover and see what it was. She was, after all, a curious archeologist trying to discover new and wondrous things. Precious items the world only dreamed of…

A loud thumping boomed through her chest rising through her throat, and pounding against her skull in her head. _"Go away."_ She thought wanting the noise to cease.

This would make it go away.

Taking another step would make everything go away.

_"Everything. _

_Go. _

_Away…"_

"BELLA!" A voice yelled just before she plummeted to her death. Looking back at the person clutching her arms tightly forced a deep and hungry breath in the lungs of the woman. With a blink, the high she felt looking into the glow faded now only revealing the cautious and worried eyes of Tony Stark. "What the HELL are you doing?" He screamed not budging on his hold on her.

"Tony…the lights…go…away…" She gasped as if her voice had forgotten how to pronounce the speech flowing through her head. "I…" Her hands clutched the expensive suit he wore crimpling the fabric in her strong hands. "I wanted to…I was going to…" the tears began to bulge in her eyes.

If she was in her right mind, she would have wondered why she had been crying so much recently. But she already knew that answer. She was sick. There was no other way around it.

"Tony!" She gasped hiding her face in the white shirt underneath his grey suit. The smell of musky cologne filled her head soothing her from the panting she didn't know she had been doing.

Tony took a deep breath standing out on his platform feeling a bit naked. Usually when he was standing out here he was wearing in his Iron Man suit. But now, holding onto this woman who had been just a step away from taking her life, he didn't know what to do- essentially feeling naked, as she cried.

"Come on…" He patted her arm pulling her away from her sobs, "Let's go inside. I know. I'll give you a drink!"

Bella lifted her head while releasing her strong grip from his shirt. "Wait…" She wiped the bottom of her eyes turning her back to retrieve the silver briefcase back into her hands. "Okay."

As the two walked into the building and neared the bar in the back of the broken battle zone room, Bella placed the briefcase on the table resting her elbows on the bar. It seemed so long ago that Loki had attacked but in reality it hadn't even been a month. "Gimmie all you got…I need it." She muttered to the genius, playboy, billionaire, philanthropist.

"That bad?" Stark smiled pouring her his favorite brandy on the rocks.

She nodded taking the glass as he handed it to her. "Yup." She made sure to pop the 'p' before swirling the liquid in the ice. "So I just drink this in one shot?"

Tony raised his own similar glass to the woman, "That would be the point of a 'shot' sweet cakes." Raising the glass to her lips, Bella mentally counted to herself before she took in the dark amber liquid. As it poured into her mouth, her eyes began to water trying to compensate from the burn swirling around in her head. With a grimace, Bella swallowed coughing shortly after as the liquid seemed to burn all the way down her throat to the pit of her stomach.

"Yuc!" She cried her gagging reflex now taking its toll on her body. "How in the world do you casually just drink that? It's horrible, ugh!"

Tony laughed even harder now taking the glass from her hands before she dropped the expensive cup. "Let me make you something better…" He searched through his cabinet taking out a crystal bottle with a clear liquid. "An Appletini sounds more like your alley." He poured a green bottle along with the clear in a silver shaker integrating the two into one while shaking in some ice to chill the drink. Picking out a martini glass Bella had forgotten to blink as she watched the emerald green substance pour from the shaker into the glass.

"So." Tony offered her the glass, "Tell me what Fury said about Richard."

* * *

"Brucey!"

Waltzing into the doctor's lab, Bella tripped on her own two feet giggling as she regained her balance. With the roll of her eyes, she had hoped Bruce hadn't seen her, but he had. The smile on his face couldn't deny it. "Well a good evening to you too, Miss Marcone."

"Aw." She pranced towards him, "And here I thought we were on a first name basis!" Her words completely slurred.

Finally making her way towards him her arms attached around his upper back causing a slight "Oofph." from deep in his chest. "Okay then, Isabella."

She raised her head from his shirt with a cheesy grin, "See! Whas that dat hard?" She bobbed her head for a moment and then realized what position she had him clutched in. Dropping her arms by her side, she bit her lip feeling a slight pinch from the burn on her chest.

"You okay?" He smirked probably knowing the look of pain and embarrassment on her face. "Have you been drinking?"

"Mmmhm." She smiled still with her lip bitten and then turned about face towards the table Bruce had been sitting in front of. "So what have you been up to lately?"

Adjusting his white lab coat, Bruce took from out of her hands a small tool placing it back on the table. "The blood samples have finally shown results. It's really quite interesting." He looked back at the uninterested and intoxicated woman.

"Cooly." She smiled and then pointed to the table. "Can I sit there?"

"W-What?" He did a double take for a moment finally raising an eyebrow at her. "You want to- sit…there?" Bella only nodded, her hands holding together behind her back. "Uh…" He pushed some of the things out of the way and then motioned with his hand for her to sit. On the table…

"Thanks!" She smiled crossing her legs over one another. "So I'm not gonna Hulk out? SHE-HULK!" Bella giggled motioning for him to come closer to her. He complied shyly shaking his head. "No, it's not like that."

"Dang." She snapped her fingers in the air and then tilted her head looking up into his eyes. "I wanted to know what it's like."

He placed a large rough hand on her cheek, "No. You don't." He straightened his lips into a line, "It's not exactly a picnic in the park."

"Nothing in _my_ life ever is…" Bella reached up placing a hand over his own. "B-Bruce…" She managed to stammer burying her face in his chest. Despite the awkward look the scientist had in his face, he actually enjoyed the company, the fact that someone- a woman- had been holding him once again.

"You're pretty." She looked up with the same cheesy grin. "You know that?"

Bruce jumped his head back letting her face go. "What?" He was completely confused, and the uncomfortable tone in his voice made her laugh. "OMG," Bella covered her mouth to stop the loud laugh. "That was embarrassing. But, yea. Pretty."

Bruce bucked his chin out, thinking for a minute and then let out a small and chuckling huff. "I've never quite gotten that reaction before."

"Liz used to say that. We would watch the male agents pass by in their training and I remember one day she said this guy was pretty. We used the term from then on, I guess…" reaching her hand to push away a strand of hair from his forehead, her eye brows crossed. "But you're different. You're…_handsome_."

He only chuckled letting his grip on her back go. "Thanks." He managed to say pulling away from her and the table when she tugged at his coat.

"Don't go…" She whispered flopping her arms around his neck. "…the room, it keeps on spinning."

He chuckled placing his hands on her back again. "How much did you have to drink- exactly?"

"I forgot…Tony-"

"Ah, should have known."

"Bruce."

"Yes?"

Bella gulped deepening her face in his shirt. The sweet scent of sandalwood filling her spinning head. "I have to leave…like…New York…the States…"

He pulled his hands away lifting her chin to look in his eyes. "Why?"

"I can't do this…SHIELD. Living with Tony. I have to." She hugged his neck tighter. "Indiana Jones. I want to live my dream."

"So you want to wear a hat and crack a whip?" He looked sad. The confidence and sparkle once in his eyes was now gone- a dark, dark brown. "You don't have to leave to do that."

"No silly. I want to do what I studied in school. I want to go on an adventure. Discover something remarkable…it's what I've always wanted to do. Since I was a kid."

"Bella," His voice was a low whisper. "You…don't, leave-"

"Remember when we were on the beach. And-and I said I wanted to fly?"

Bruce swallowed a thick and dry gulp, "Yea?"

"I tried…" she nuzzled her face in his warm neck while attempting to not kiss his Adam's apple. "I was standing on Tony's platform. I was about to do it. The colors. To feel the sensation, the rush of the wind hitting my face as I fell…Bruce…you-you have to understand. Right?"

She thought about the moment when he revealed to everyone on the Hellicarrier that he had attempted suicide but failed by the result of Hulk. He would understand. He would know the pain of trying to rid of your own self.

_"In case you needed to kill me…But you can't. I know. I tried! I got low. I didn't see an end, so I put a bullet in my mouth and the other guy spit it out."_

"You know I do…" His hands embraced her cheeks pulling her to look only at him. "And look on all the things I would have missed if it worked."

She nodded still with his hands on her face. "It's getting late…my head hurts." She whispered. "Shouldn't my blood or something be immune to-to drinking?"

He chuckled letting his hands down by his sides. "What do you think you are? The next Captain America?" She rolled her eyes at him jumping down to the ground. But of course being as intoxicated as she was, she stumbled tumbling into Bruce's embrace. "Heh, obviously not." He chuckled holding onto her tightly. "Can you walk, even?"

Frowning confidently the woman nodded, "No problem Jolly Green Giant." Her words almost completely slurred as she pushed out of his hold attempting to walk towards the door.

"Yea. I was afraid of that…" Running from behind her, Bruce lifted her up into his arms just before she stumbled into a table lined with very important and breakable experiments.

"Dr. Banner!" Bella groaned as he made his sober walk to the door, placing her back down. "You are…too…good. That Betty woman was crazy to let you go."

He sighed opening the door and wrapping an arm around her waist. She assumed she was tugging at a sore spot on the abused and timid man. "I'm so sorry…I didn't-urgh. I didn't mean to-"

But her words stopped on the spot by soft lips pressing down on her own. It was him, Bruce's soft and tender lips…finally the two had kissed.

In that drunken moment, everything was perfect and romantic and-and… As he pulled back her eyes fluttered. "Wow." Her smile still very cheesy. "I think I…I…" For some reason she fell face first on his chest, her arms tightly wrapping around his small waist. "Tired…" She mumbled trying to keep her fading mind from ruining their moment.

The alcohol proved to be the better fighter as her eyes closed giving into the darkness that clouded her mind. Standing on her own two feet, Bella slept dreaming of the smell of sandalwood and musk.


	20. Chapter 20

**So this is the LAST chapter! I've had so much fun writing this for you all and I hope you have enjoyed. But not to fret, I have thought long and hard these past few days that I've been gone and decided to continue with a sequel! I'm not sure when it's going to be published, so I'll probably update on here with a preview and the name when it's ready to be published!**

**Oh, and for the ending of this chapter, the very end would be like the last 30 seconds of a Marvel movie- you know what I'm talking about, yea, the very end when they do a preview! Yea, that! So enjoy! **

**I've loved all of the reviews and comments I've gotten! You all are the best, and I hope to see you all in the next story!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

Bruce couldn't even begin to explain why he was letting the better of his emotions take control of the wheel in his head. He hadn't meant to kiss the highly intoxicated woman, but for some reason his body wouldn't resist the small voice of his conscious in the already crowded brain of his.

As he pressed his own lips onto Bella's smooth ones, he mentally kicked himself as Bella seemed to freeze in the moment. How stupid could he have been, why in the world would such a beautiful and strong woman be interested in some older geek with a major split-personality problem?

His thoughts faded as she jumped into his embrace hungrily pressing her lips on his. She _did_ care about him he thought as his eyes rolled back into his head enjoying every single millisecond the two were connected.

Feeling content with his tactic, Bruce pulled back parting their lips from another while holding onto her waist even tighter seeing her grey eyes fluttering as she smiled from cheek to cheek, "Wow. I think I…I…" She began to mumble and then sunk her face first into his chest while her arms pulled securely around his waist. "Tired…" Her voice faded into the fabric of his shirt as her weight seemed to give out.

With one swift motion, Bruce scooped her knees into his right arm while positioning his other arm around the back of her neck, "I bet you are…" He smiled looking down at her peaceful face. Luckily, the two had been right next to the elevator but the problem for Bruce had been as simple as his hands not eligible to push the button. "Um, excuse me, JARVIS?"

"Yes, sir?" The AI responded

"Wou-could you…you open the elevator? To the floor of my room?" Tony had shown him his new living arrangements right after Bella had left this afternoon.

"Of course," The doors to the elevator opened. "Going up?"

Bruce couldn't help but smile at the robotic intelligence's charm. Even if it wasn't a real person, Bruce could really get used to JARVIS's charisma. Shortly after stepping inside, the doors opened once more revealing the long hallway with Bruce's door. Still caring the passed out woman in his arms, Bruce held his grip a bit tighter on her legs and walked until he came face to face with the 10-foot steel door.

"Let me get that for you, sir." JARVIS responded and just like magic, the door clicked and opened from the frame.

"JARVIS, you are a lifesaver. Thanks."

"Good to know. Good night, Dr Banner."

Kicking the door shut, Bruce paced into the one-bedroom apartment gently lying Bella on the edge of his king-sized bed. With her motionless for the moment, Bruce sighed rubbing the back of his neck with his other hand positioned on his waist looking down at the drunken woman on his bed.

A smile seemed to creep onto his lips as he watched her moan and embrace the cushion underneath her body. She looked so peaceful and relaxed that it made him crave to be next to her…Just as he was about to do so, Bella sat up- one eye open while the other struggled to do the same, "Bru-?" She moaned waving for him to come forward. Contemplating the two options the man nodded and obeyed sitting down by her side.

She wrapped her arms around his neck lying her head on his chest once again. "Smell good…" She slurred taking a deep inhale with a smile. "I've never been drunk…" She sat up, her body rocking bath and forth as a sort of reflex to compensate with the confused equilibrium in her head.

"In college…" She snorted closing her eyes, "I went to one party and some ass spilled his beer on me. I never went to another party. And den, when I was legal, my grandma gave me a bottle of wine but I had food poisoning so I threw up. I've never liked the way wine because of that…"

She threw herself back onto the plush bed giggling. "You must think I'm weird…"

Bruce only smiled crawling to her position at the head of the bed. "No. Not at all…"

"You wanna know something else?" She turned to him whispering with a smile. Bruce only nodded, "I had a crush on my Egyptian Mythology professor -but I've only had two boyfriends…they were both jerks…not like you." She smiled resting her head on his shoulder as he lied next to her. "What about you?"

"Me?" Bruce questioned not sure if wanted to know the truth about Betty. Of course, she was in his SHILED database file- that had been how Bella knew about her, but there was nothing of how the two really split up. _"The fight…"_ He thought closing his eyes while taking in a deep breath and sighing it right out. "It's complicated. But only a couple. Betty Ross being the most significant."

Bella raised her head looking curiously into his eyes. Her face was a mixture of confused and saddened. "But you're not together anymore, right?"

He only nodded, rubbing her arm that made its way around his chest, her soft hand tugging at his shirt in the back. "Okay. Good." She nuzzled her face into the crease of his neck. "Bruce?"

"Hm?"

"Can I wear your shirt? I like it, and it smells good…" She whispered tugging the back of his shirt once again. With an eyebrow raised and a smirk in his lips, Bruce sat up looking down at the smiling woman. Her eyes half open and her back arching up and back into the bed. "Please? I like it…" She begged again causing him to give into her persuading and deadly feminine tactics.

Removing his lab coat and unbuttoning his dark purple top, Bruce stood to his feet dropping the shirt on the edge of the bed where he once lay. "I'll be back. Get into bed when I get out." He smiled reaching for the bathroom door.

After he finalized himself for sleep, Bruce pushed aside the door focusing on the woman now sleeping underneath the soft white covers of his bed. Turning off the light, Bruce took a step forward ready to take his rest for the night on the couch in the room when a moan pulled him back instead.

"Please tell me you're not going to sleep on _that_?" Bella had raised her head slightly patting the empty side of the massive bed. "I don't bite. Come on…" She waved him towards him.

Nodding with a defeated sigh, Bruce complied with her wishes pulling the covers up and sinking into the bed. She was right, this bed was a lot better than the couch. "Are-are you sure you're okay with this? With me, I mean?" He questioned turning off the bedside lamp on the nightstand.

"Mmmhmmm." Bella moaned inching closer as the light faded leaving the two in the darkness. The window providing minimal light from the city of lights below. "I like you…" She cuddled herself into Bruce's side nuzzling her nose into the shoulder of his grey sleeping shirt.

He laughed, "Well I like you too."

"Bruce?"

"Bella?"

"I don't want to leave…but it's the only way…the only way…I ca-can…"

"Can what?" Bruce turned on his side holding the back of her neck while she deepened her face into his chest.

"Come back…to you…"

For the first time in a very looong time, Bruce had been at a loss for words. What did she mean? She had to leave but didn't want to? It was almost like she was sacrificing her life for him? But why?

"Fury…" Bruce growled deep in his chest pulling her close.

"Mmmhmmm." She moaned again wrapping a leg around his. "Please wait…I want to…"

Bruce was smarter than the average man; he was a scientist after all. But hearing Bella's words- no matter how much she was in a drunken state of mind- he was at a loss of words. "Tomorrow." He whispered kissing the side of her head. She nodded pulling his chest closer to hers. _"I won't let you go easily…"_

* * *

Bella moaned deep in her chest now rolling onto her stomach in the warm and plush bed deepening her face into the warm cushion underneath. Only when she opened her eyes did she realize she was NOT in HER bed.

Jumping to a sitting position she heard a chuckle from her right. There, lying comfortably next to her was none other than Dr. Bruce Banner.

"I-I, Uh..." her hand went to brush through her morning hair-do while trying to remember why exactly she was in this position. The last thing she remembered was going into his lab last night and telling him, _'Oh god...why did I have to say he was pretty! He probably thinks I'm a total goof!'_ she cursed her drunken mind.

"Good morning," Bruce smiled making her wandering mind focus on his adorable smile and then noticed his grey sleeping shirt he had been wearing.

Curiously looking down to see if she happened to be in her pajamas she wore in Malibu, she sighed with a huge amount of relief to see herself in a button down shirt...and then she panicked at the thought of this not being her purple shirt.

Bruce laughed again sitting up to face her, "Do you even remember anything?" Bella only shook her head slowly making his chuckle continue, "You said you liked the way the shirt looked, so I gave it to you."

Bella hesitantly smiled, "Oh...Bruce, we didn't... ya know-?"

"No," he placed his warm hand on her knee, "Of course not..." Releasing a giant breath, Bella smiled looking around the room once again, "Of course, the first night I get drunk in my life and I don't remember a darn thing..."

"Well for starters, you are a happy drunk so that's always good. In the past I've met not-so-nice drunks so that's always an issue to deal with."

"And what type are you?" Bella smiled but Bruce frowned back at her motioning his eyes down at the covers, "I don't drink...it's not safe. Hul- 'the other guy' is not-so-nice..."

Mentally slapping herself, Bella frowned as well, "Bruce, I'm sorry I-"

"Don't be, you didn't know. But I'm glad to report you officially will not 'she-hulk' as you called it. From the blood I finished testing and from the intoxication of last night, the gamma radiation in your body is minor compared to mine," he crawled out of the bed standing to face her while she remained motionless. "Your strength will double when you are provoked by anger. If I was bold enough, I'd report you to the government to the super solider program as a complete and total success. Then again I wouldn't want them to cut me up just to make the U.S. Army stronger."

Bella smiled nodding her head and then crawled out from the covers to the opposite side of the bed. As she stood, she fought the light-headed feeling in her brain or the wanting to sit back down from the nausea. Miraculously, she took a mental note of, her pants from the night before had remained on her body. "Bruce, where's my-?"

Already knowing her question, he pointed to the small love-seat couch in the corner to her bra and top. With a blush spread across her cheeks, Bella made the walk-of-shame towards her clothes throwing them behind her back as she turned to face him.

For some reason, Bella always thought of being attracted to the muscle-head type of guy. With strong muscles and a flawless face. But looking back at the feeble and most certainly older Bruce, she wanted nothing more than to throw herself onto him and kiss him until he turned blue in the face. "Thank you so much for taking care of me. I've never been drunk before and-"

"I know, you told me." Bruce smirked crossing his arm in front of his chest. "You told me a lot actually."

Mentally stomping, kicking, and abusing what was left of her drunk brain, Bella hesitantly smiled, "Oh, really…like what?"

Bruce started to walk towards her with his arms crossed and focus on the ground, like he was thinking of the right things to say. "Well, you went to one party all through college and a guy had spilled beer on you so you never went to another one. You had wine with your grandma and you threw up because you had food poisoning, but you didn't like the way the wine tasted afterwards."

Bella grimaced but he only ignored her continuing on as he stood in front of her. "You had a crush on your Egyptian Mythology professor. You call men, pretty, if they are good looking, but you've only dated two men in the past. And you might have said one or two things about 'the other guy' being a god damned ass-kicker in your sleep."

Bella slapped her aching forehead with her freehand trying to bury herself from all of the drunken words she mindless announced. She looked through her fingers with one eye looking to his chest in front of her, "I'm embarrassed..."

Bruce only laughed, "Don't be." he removed her hand from her head lifting her chin from the bottom to face him, "But you did say something else." his tone was serious and Bella only prayed she hadn't told him what she thought he was about to say. "You can't leave..._please_?"

Not expecting _that_ to come out of his mouth, Bella stood frozen in the moment.

"Why? Don't run away. Trust me, I've done that. It's not fun." he leaned his face in closer, "For me, please...?" his voice was only a soft whisper making Isabella's aching head melt with his plead. Giving into her falling knees, Bruce held her tightly in his arms.

Her face pressed warmly against his heart in his chest. "Bruce..." she dropped her clothes hugging onto him tightly. "I don't...I don't have a choice..." her voice shaky trying to hold back the tears. Lifting her head to face him again Bella sniffed, "I'm stuck, I can't leave..."

His grip tightened while his lips curved downwards, "What did Fury do?"

"It's not what he did, but what he's doing..."

"You and I both know you'd be safer here." his voice becoming a low growl, "What's your assignment?"

Bella only shook her head, "I can't say..." knowing the heat of the moment from the look now forming in Bruce's eyes, Bella did the only sensible thing to distract him from Hulking out...and to satisfy the craving she had been holding back since she realized she was in bed with Bruce.

With a swift shift, Bella pulled herself into Bruce's arms pressing her lips onto his. She was right; his lips were warm and plump against her tiny and thin ones. They stayed motionless for a moment, until the shock value of Bruce faded and he scooped her closer into his arms, hungrily pecking her lips to his.

Feeling a bit promiscuous wearing the man's shirt she was intensely kissing, Bella nibbled on his bottom lip and then sucked it tenderly gaining a moan from his parted lips. With his lip still held in her grasp Bella released it causing a small pop from the rebound, her lips curving up in a smile while still pressed against his. She pulled back shortly after, with eyes pleasantly closed permanently engraving in her head the sweet moment to replay on a lonely night.

Gently lifting up her tired eye lids, she gazed at Bruce's sweet brown eyes now suddenly craving chocolate and his lips once again. Their breath matched one another huffing in and out simultaneously as they stared at one another from what seemed like a far distance. "Bruce." the woman huffed closing her eyes again and clutching her aching head. "Wait for me, please." her voice a low whisper, "I just have to do this one mission and then I'm all yours."

Bruce pulled her hand away from her forehead replacing it with a kiss instead. With a single nod, he pulled away looking intensely at the messy amber haired girl. "Just don't forget about me..." he whispered with what looked to be a tear in his eye.

Bella huffed hugging him once again; "Bruce, I could NEVER forget you." she smiled to herself still holding her strong hulk-strength grip around his chest,_'Not even if I wanted too...'_

* * *

"Nine fifty-one…" Bella responded as she rose from her position on the bench in the marble lobby of Stark Tower. The squeak in her black leather suit made the Agent smirk at the familiar feeling wearing her own personal SHIELD uniform that had been destroyed by Loki at SHIELD bade. Afterwards, Bella had been forced to wear a regular SHIELD jumpsuit while on the Hellicarrier and during the battle. Fury had been smart to give her an incentive on this mission by giving her the suit.

"Nine minutes?" Pepper sighed looking as Bella stood with the silver briefcase in her hands. "Do you really have to go?"

"Pep…" Bella groaned while itching her nose, "I _have _too…and then I'll be done forever." Despite the smile forced on her face, Bella wanted nothing more than to break into tears and hug the strawberry-blonde, hoping that her begging would force Tony to find some loop-hole for Bella to stay.

"I know…" Pepper hugged Bella tightly. "It's just going to be weird to be surrounded by masculinity after you being here for sometime…I'm going to miss you." She pulled back wiping a set of tears from the bottom of her eyes. With a small snort, Bella pulled back rubbing underneath her eyes as well trying her best not to cry.

"Aw. It's a Kodak moment."

Both Bella and Pepper rolled their eyes turning to look back at Tony and Bruce walking out from the elevator. "A picture last longer." The amber-haired girl tightened her grip on the handle of the case and then looked to the wall with the big face clock.

"That it does." Tony stopped in front of the young woman looking down. "You sure about this, Sweet Cakes?"

Bella nodded looking up at him and then glancing slightly at Bruce. "I am…"

"Darn." Tony snapped his fingers and then pulled her into a quick hug, "Just be sure not to jump off any more buildings, 'kay?"

Bella nodded with a deep sniff, "Nine fifty-five."

Tony had backed away now leaving the space for only one other person to say good-bye. Only when Bruce had neared the female Agent, his chocolate eyes only stared at her. Not offering up a single word, or breath. The two seemed to be completely motionless as they stared into each other's eyes.

"Bruce…" Bella gave up, revealing her unease in the tense situation. With a heavy sigh, Isabella dropped her shoulders looking down at her black boots. "I'm sorry…I _have_ too…"

Suddenly a rough hand pulled underneath her chin forcing her to look up at him, "I know…" he whispered squeezing his grip on her arm, "I just wish you didn't."

"Please." She fell into his embrace tightening her free hand on his back. "I'll come back…I promise." She whispered in his ear pulling her chest back with a forced smile, but her smile faded as Bruce leaned into her ear, his soft breathing making her knees seem to melt giving into his sweet scent.

"Bella I've felt things these past few days… things I didn't know I could feel before." he whispered in her ear so that Tony and Pepper couldn't hear. "But I've realized in these past few minutes, you can't just get rid of who you are…" He pressed his lips onto hers for a moment not giving her time to sink into the moment of their kiss. "All I'm saying is, for me to let you go…you _better_ come back."

Her knees buckled in that second, giving out almost instantly. While her hand attempted to lean on his shoulder, Bruce held a strong hand wrapped around her waist to support her failing knees, "Nine fifty-nine…" he looked to the clock.

As soon as the clock hit ten o'clock, on the dot, a blacked-out Acura MDX parked in front of the Stark Tower. Two middle-aged men in black suits walked out of the vehicle towards the glass doors to the lobby. "Agent Marcone." One nodded holding his hands in front of his waist insisting for her to come along.

It was time to leave…

Bella nodded silently attempting to lightly pull herself out of Bruce's grasp. "Yes. Here, take this." She handed the other man her briefcase and then turned to face Bruce once more.

"I'm sorry…" She whispered throwing herself onto him just as she had this morning. Her lips against his tingled as the two attempted to pull each other closer than they had already been clutched in the other's arms. Nibbling at his lower lip, Bella pulled back making his lip pop like it had done this morning and then quickly replaced her lips onto his one final time before she pulled back.

"I-I…I'll miss you…" Bella stopped herself from saying the "L" word as she pressed her forehead against his concentrating hard on what her heart was trying to say and what her body and mind would filter through. _'I love him…'_ She admitted silently to herself staring at those sweet brown eyes.

"I have-" She sniffed her tears away and then pulled back, "Have to go…"

Bruce only stared back, his jaw slightly open from the shock of everything. "I know…But…Don't?" He made sure to hold onto her hand before she pulled out of his reach completely.

She shook and wiped away the waterfall of tears on her red cheeks, "It's not goodbye," She looked to Bruce and then to Tony and Pepper behind the two. "It's… see you soon!" She smiled giving him a final kiss on the cheek and then pulling back.

Unknowing to the woman, Bruce had held onto her right hand holding it until the last moment as she pulled away. The empty feeling of not having her warm soft hands in his could break even the toughest and strongest man alive.

Bella walked away, her figure seeming to be a shadow silhouette in the bright morning light in front of her. She turned just before she reached the glass door that the other SHIELD agent held open for her, "Bruce." She smiled catching the broken man's gaze to her smile. "Be sure to check the mail box." She raised her head slightly trying to pull back the tears from escaping her eyes. "I'll send you a postcard!"

The scientist nodded waving his hand as she turned and walked out of the Tower leaving the three in silence. Bruce turned his gaze to his feet trying to memorize Bella's smiling face for a lonely night. As soon as he etched it permanently, he looked back towards Stark. "Please tell me you planted a bug on her."

The perfectly groomed goatee billionaire only smiled, "Brucey…You know me too well."

As the car started and pulled off into the busy streets of the city, Bella sat in the back hugging the silver briefcase tightly against her chest. She couldn't even begin to imagine how much lonelier her life was going to be without the Hulk-doctor's company she had grown to enjoy. He reminded her of all the uncomplicated things regular people had in their normal lives. How to be a normal human being…

Love.

Bella finally admitted it…she loved him…as much as she couldn't even begin to imagine that she _could_ fall in love, it had to be with someone who managed to save her life. Someone she owed her whole existence too.

Bruce had done so much for her…and now she was leaving him- she was breaking him. If there was ever a reason for Bruce Banner to be depressed in the past, now he really had a reason. He had willingly allowed a woman come into his life, and how did she repay him?

By leaving…how tragic.

"Agent Marcone?" The man in the passenger seat pulled her out of her contemplating thoughts with a jump. "We will be at the airport in about thirty minutes. You may rest until then."

She nodded and wiped her eyes once more. "Th-than-k you…" She nodded looking out the blacked-out window towards the streets of New York that hadn't been affected by the alien attack.

"Agent?" The man turned removing his glasses. "Pardon me if I say, would you like for us to turn around?"

Bella pounded her hand on the briefcase and turned her gaze into a look that could kill. "No! I am **perfectly** fine." She insisted and then rested back into the leather seat of the car.

"Sorry…" The man shifted back into his chair remaining silent for the rest of the ride along with the other two in the car until they arrived at their destination. As soon as the car pulled up to the private area of the airport, she and the other Agents stepped out onto the runway.

"Good morning, Agent Marcone." A man towards the SHEILD jet pulled off his sun glasses as the forceful wind pushed the ends of his black suit.

"No freaking way…" Bella dropped the case out of her hands as it clanked on the concrete below. "Phil? How? What? Why? YOU DIED, RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME!"

Agent Coulson ignored her comment merely tucking his glasses into his pocket. "Nice to see you again, are you ready for your mission?"

Scooping her now dented case into her hands once again, the young woman knew her questions wouldn't be answered in a non-secure location such as this, "As much as I'll ever be going to Africa…" She moaned hopelessly.

Coulson beamed and offered a hand on the staircase into the jet. "Have a safe trip, Isabella."

* * *

.

.

.

"And vhat information do vou have for me?"

The blonde man raised his head from his bowing position. "The girl...she is on a mission to find it. The gem you have been searching for." his accent revealing a strong British heritage.

The man above smiled standing from his chair in the dusty old command room. "Oh veally? Vou are shure?"

"I am... ask Peterson if you doubt me." The man stood dusting off his old Army uniform. The badges he had won throughout the years had been gone. Ripped right off of his suit as he was discharged of all service. This was his only home. His only chance to fight...to fight that monster- again...

"Ves...vell, I vill have to ask him... after all-" The man turned revealing his extremely cut up face. The marks and slashes seemed to resemble molten candle wax in a way. "-He vill be most interested in finding zee vhereabouts of his long lost daughter...von't he, Emil?"

The blonde man had been walking away when he turned to his leader with a smile, "Of course. Who wouldn't?"

"Emil...?" The leader pulled a purple mask over his head before he spoke again, "Please, be gentle. Ve voudn't vant Miss Marzone to be completely broken before VE break her entirely."

The blonde nodded once again before silently smiling to himself, _"Her beast won't even know what to do when I have her underneath my fingers." _

The leader laughed just before Emil exited the doors, "Fourth time's a charm, eh Blonsky?"


	21. PREVIEW FOR NEW STORY

**Wow, what a vacation! I left to go to the beach with my best friend on the 27th and we were supposed to be back a week later. Well the beach got boring. So instead we went to Disney World! Then, by complete surprise, my parents informed me that they were going to be in orlando for a football camp for my brother. A few free drinks at the bar and a fourth of july celebration, my vacation was extended. I just got back to my apartment last night!**

**So enough of my life and back to the story! The new story will be uploaded this afternoon, but I want you to have a bit of a teaser before I publish it! The story will be called: Next Initiative, in keeping with my title theme.**

**Spoiler Alert: There will be superheroes (ones you know and some that are in the Marvel world but not on the big screen), villains, secrets even bigger than before, another un-human power source, a wedding, fighting (lots and lots of fighting) and two enormous rage monsters. Yes, that's right you did see everything correct! So be prepared for an epic journey!**

**I will disclaim that I own nothing familiar from the Marvel universe. I only take credit in Isabella Marcone and her family. ;)**

**Now that this has all been taken care of- HERE'S THE PREVIEW! ENJOY!**

**-yesiamweird**

* * *

Another morning.

Another afternoon.

Day to day, to night, to day, to morning and back to night, Bruce Banner worked intrigued by the technical aspects and designs that whirled in his own private floor in Stark Tower. At first, the change was something he thought he didn't deserve. But after ten months since the Chutari attack and working underneath the great Tony Stark, Banner grew to take in every moment as if it were his last.

He had spent Christmas and Thanksgiving among friends- his friends being Tony, Pepper, Steve and some of Tony's close business partners, for the first time almost ten years. He felt whole…sane.

Normal.

Ten months ago, if Natasha Romanoff had come to him in India and told him his future, he would have laughed and called her ridiculous. Never in his wildest dreams did he ever believe that this could be his life. It was perfect, like a really good dream. As if he had died and gone to heaven.

The only reason he knew he wasn't dead or dreaming had been one flaw in his almost perfect life.

Isabella Marcone was not in the picture.

Ten months ago, he let the amber-haired woman walk out of Stark Tower and right out of his life. Every morning before he walked into his lab he would curse and picture what he should have said to make her stay. To what he could have done to still have her.

Betty Ross had let him walk right out of her life so this must have been karma in the cruel world he had grown to know over the past few years. He closed his eyes cursing his luck with women. Karma…that had to be the explanation.

There was hope; he believed lifting his eyes to stare out the window overlooking New York City. She promised to send a postcard, and her promise had been kept. Every other month, an average-sized postcard from various countries had been sent to Stark Tower, R&D department.

The cards were not signed, nor written on, but simply addressed and then contained a small but very visible smiley-face on the area where most people would write a message. Bruce would often receive these notes every couple of weeks or so, or whenever (he assumed) Bella had left and visited another country.

Lowering his head as his the tips of his calloused fingers ran over the piece of paper he had received this morning as he entered the lab, he couldn't stop the flashes of memories from overcrowding his mind.

_"I'm sorry…" Bella's voice was nothing but as whisper as she threw herself onto him just as she had the morning before. Her lips against his tingled as the two attempted to pull each other closer than they had already been clutched in the other's arms. Nibbling at his lower lip, Bella pulled back making his lip pop and then quickly replaced her lips onto his one final time before she pulled back._

_"I-I…I'll miss you…" Bella pressed her forehead against his concentrating hard on what her heart was trying to say and what her body and mind would filter through. "I have-" She sniffed her tears away and then pulled back, "Have to go…"_

_Bruce only stared back, his jaw slightly open from the shock of everything. "I know…But…Don't?" He made sure to hold onto her hand before she pulled out of his reach completely._

_She shook and wiped away the waterfall of tears on her red cheeks, "It's not goodbye," She looked to Bruce and then to Tony and Pepper behind the two. "It's… see you soon!" She smiled giving him a final kiss on the cheek and then pulling back._

Bruce closed his eyes once more remembering what little of her mission he had known. From the bug Tony had planted on her, the two had come to the conclusion her archeology skills were needed to recover an artifact. A mission given to her by the same employer that had lied to her for three years and held the truth from her past the past years she had been working underneath.

Among all of the warning signs that read this mission was dangerous, Bruce Banner had to admire her courage. Her self-determination towards her job, that's all SHIELD was to her, a _job_.

"Dr. Banner," One of the lab techs, pulled the contemplating man from his position still holding his smiley-face postcard from Morocco. "The results to the experiment have come in." the black-haired man smiled and nodded for his boss to come to his position.

Gently folding the crimpled edged postcard into his white lab coat, Bruce walked over to the microscope evaluating the results peacefully. That was, until _his_ boss walked into the lab.

"How are things, Dr. Banner? Feeling a bit agitated?" Tony zapped the split-personality doctor with his infamous shocker wand. Bruce had been used to it by now and offered Tony only a chuckle, "When are you going to give that up?"

"When it finally makes you turn jolly green." Stark smiled back looking at the notes spread out on the table. "Your results came in?" He pointed to the pages while looking at the doctor. Bruce only nodded. "Wow, that was fast you must have-"

"Sir." JARVIS, the artificial intelligence Stark had personally created interrupted. "I've been receiving a personal call from an unknown number three times now. I've traced the signal and found it is being called from Morocco. Would you like for me to-"

"YES!" Bruce retaliated quickly causing Tony to raise an eyebrow. Bruce merely removed the folded postcard from his pocket handing it to Bruce. "Bella." He nodded making Tony smile in understanding.

"Put the call on speaker, JARVIS."

"I'm afraid the call had been terminated, but I can replay you the first voicemail, if you'd like."

"Yes, please!" Stark smiled knowing it had probably been a love message for Bruce from Isabella. He couldn't wait to hear it. Besides the random postcards, Bella hadn't made contact with either of the two since she left that morning.

Unfortunately, a sweet and caring love message was **NOT** what came from the speakers overhead.

"Bruce? Tony?" Bella's voice could be made out from the muffled screams. She seemed to be panting, very heavily, and gasping as if she had run out of breath. "PLEASE! Help. I- I don't…TONY!" Her voice started to reveal a panic even through the telephone, as if she was being bound and gagged.

"BRUCE! I need, please! HELP me-"

The line went dead leaving the two men and the lab techs in the room completely speechless. Tony quickly looked over his shoulder looking to the doctor in a frantic and panicking position. "BRUCE!" He gasped holding a sturdy grip on his friend.

"BELLA…" Bruce's eyes were a solid shade of green causing Tony to curse the love his friend had over this girl. "Bruce, Banner!" Tony's breath hitched, trying to maintain a hold onto his friend, "Stay calm, we _will _find her. I'll bet my life on it. Just-"

"Breathe…" Bruce whispered clutching his head from Tony's grasp.

"Yea that would help a ton." Stark smiled replacing Bruce's position. "You okay?"

"No." Bruce responded looking through his glasses at his friend. "We have to find her."

"Of course."


End file.
